Disillusioned
by Faraway Dawn
Summary: Two weeks to prepare, two years to complete, sometimes best friends are the best people to send undercover. But how many times can you say 'I love you' before you start to mean it? NejiTen
1. Chapter 1

**Disillusioned**

**By: Faraway Dawn & Kigen**

**Disclaimer: We don't own anything. But we are putting Kishimoto's characters to great use! **

**Warnings: NaruSasu (flame if you dare. Kigen will burn you back.) implied but not covered HinaKibaShino threesome (again flame if you dare. Kigen will do unspeakably evil things to you if you flame.) If it bugs you all that much, Insert your favorite pairing in it's place and be happy that we don't flame you.**

**AN: You've seen the product of our madness once before if you've ever read Against Your Will. Brace yourself. We're back and worse than before. We are mad, really. **

* * *

**Chapter 1**

* * *

Neji nodded as he received the mission details from Tsunade. Both he and Tenten looked over the scrolls they had received. Tenten was the first to voice her concerns.

"Is it really necessary that I act so…docile?" She asked, displeasure written on her features.

"Yes. It's necessary that you and Neji don't raise suspicions." Tsunade leaned back in her chair. "The idea of Neji being a chuunin and giving up the life to start a new one with his civilian wife is much more believable than two jounin quitting because they got married."

Neji was continuing to look through the scroll. The plan was good in its relative simplicity. Pretend to be a retired chuunin. Either use a Genjutsu or wear something over his eyes to hide his bloodline trait. Be a happily married man under a different name who wanted to explore the world along with a young wife, who lived as a civilian in a shinobi village, fell in love with a dashing shinobi, and was whisked away to live an exciting, romance filled life in a new land with a new change of life.

It was a little too ideal. A little too corny. Perfectly cliché and suspicious, yet normal enough not too be spotted right away, Neji sighed. "You allowed Naruto to help you write the mission back-story, did you not Hokage-sama?"

"The brat needs all the practice he can get." Tsunade shrugged.

Tenten grimaced. "But, it's so corny..."

"... and completely believable." Neji muttered equally irritated.

"Oh, I'm just as scared as you, believe me." Tsunade assured them. "However, it is the best choice, and that's why we're going with it."

Neji nodded, rolling up the scroll. "How long will this mission last?"

"Seven months, you have a maximum of two years to complete it though, if you feel the need."

"So for seven months Neji and I pretend to be newly weds...Just how much are we supposed to pretend?"

"As much as is needed for the illusion. I trust the two of you to know what that is." Tsunade stated simply. "Your mission begins in two weeks. You have that long to prepare and say your goodbyes." She was smiling almost deviously. "Dismissed."

Neji and Tenten bowed before leaving the room, both had mixed feelings. They were skilled enough to pull it off, but they were also very close friends.

"This is going to be awkward." Tenten said what they were both thinking.

Neji shrugged. "A mission is a mission."

"I know." Tenten sighed, she had only recently been promoted from jounin to ANBU and had yet to be sent away on such a long mission. Now that she thought about it, neither of them had received the standard tattoo marking them as ANBU.

Neji said nothing. A few months away from his village would not hurt him.

As the two exited the building, Neji turned to Tenten. "I will see you for training later." As the more experienced shinobi, he was given authority over the mission. Not that it bothered Tenten, Neji was a natural leader.

"Okay. See ya later Neji." Tenten and Neji went their separate ways. Tenten walked with a slight smile on her face. Acting like a girl was the worst part of their orders, pretending to be Neji's wife…well she hit the jackpot this time.

As soon as the two were far away, Neji began to fully ponder his doubt, how did newly weds act anyway? What exactly had the Hokage meant when she said 'As much as is needed for the illusion'? _Only one way to find out_. He'd have to drop in on a set of newly weds. Sasuke and Naruto would just have to do.

It was always the same routine when someone visited. Naruto would be his bubbly talkative self, and Sasuke would sigh, ignore everything, and occasionally shoot someone a glare. Naruto would be clingy, Sasuke would try his hardest not to turn red, and shot Neji a glare when Neji smirked.

He left only seventeen minutes later, not sure if he felt a new level of respect for Sasuke putting up with Naruto, or a new level of astonishment at how hard a guy could fall for someone.

There wasn't much to learn from them. Neji sighed slightly. _Who else?_ Shikamaru was being fought over between Temari and Ino, but there wasn't a concrete relationship that he could find. And as much as they loved each other, he really didn't care to see his cousin in a relationship with the Inuzuka and Aburame. Especially when Kiba was about as touchy feely and modest as Naruto. He wasn't sure which was worse, watching Kiba grope his younger cousin, or Shino being able to watch her every move. Both gave him mental images he didn't want, and he was certain wouldn't ever erase themselves from his mind.

Returning to his home, Neji allowed himself a tired sigh. How the hell were he and Tenten supposed to act like a normal couple, when he hadn't the foggiest idea what a normal couple was?

Tenten was having far more luck, her parents never stopped acting like newly weds when she lived with them. It wouldn't be too hard to pull off for her; all she had to do was be more girly than her mother was, much to her intense displeasure. Neji was going to be a problem though; he wasn't affectionate or sweet, he didn't know the subtlety of a married couple. Tenten sighed, if he didn't understand it, she'd just have to teach him.

* * *

A few hours later, Neji stared at Tenten incredulously. "Excuse me? I don't believe I heard you correctly…"

"I said I'm going to teach you how to act like a loving husband."

"Why? I am perfectly capable of doing that on my own."

"Prove it then."

"And how do you suggest I do that?"

"Hmm..." Tenten held her chin, acting as though she was thinking hard.

"Tenten." Neji said, almost warningly.

"Try to convince people you're my boyfriend."

"Excuse me?"

"Let's walk through town; and pretend we're boyfriend and girlfriend. If anyone thinks we are, I'll admit you know how to act like a newlywed but, if even one person; outside those who know us too well, thinks otherwise; you'll agree to practice with me"

"Something that easy?"

"Yes. Do you know how?" Tenten had a smug expression on her face.

"Of course."

"Then what are you going to do?"

A million things ran through the Hyuuga's head but none of them seemed to really fit.

"Can you name even one thing to do?"

"Of course I can." Neji seriously had to grasp what did normal couples did if he wanted to avoid lessons from his former teammate. "I will hold your hand."

"And?"

"And what?"

Tenten let out an exasperated sigh. "Neji, you don't really think you're going to convince everyone with just that do you?"

Neji was irritated by the fact that he really didn't know what else he would have to do. "What else is there?"

"Many things…" She began counting off on her fingers just for added emphasis. "…holding me close, giving me glances out of the corner of your eye, speaking gently to me, and of course, kissing me…But, the last one would be too obvious, so you're not allowed to try that one."

"This will be simple." Neji's hand held Tenten's in a firm grip.

Tenten tsked. "You're already messing up."

"What?"

"You're holding my hand too hard. You're supposed to hold it firmly but gently, like a fragile lotus blossom." Tenten recited, as though from memory.

Neji looked at her "Whoever told you that is an idiot beyond even Naruto's standards."

"Kounichi training. We were taught it when we were seven." Tenten chuckled, a bit embarrassed.

"And you still quote it today because?"

"Force of habit." Tenten held Neji's hand more gently. "Now come on, we have a few people to try and deceive."

Well they tried. Tenten bit her lip, fighting the urge not to laugh at the obvious look of annoyance on Neji's face. Well, obvious if you knew where to look, the slight narrowing of his eyes, the thin line his lips were in, tighter than usual, and the occasional glare at seemingly random bystanders. Most would attribute it to Neji's normal antisocial self, but years of serving on the same team as Neji had taught Tenten this, if nothing else: that expression on his face, meant that Neji was nearly at the end of his rope with frustration and annoyance.

Not that Tenten blamed him; he hadn't managed to fool many people. Not only had all their friends seen through the rouse immediately, but Kiba had chosen to openly mock and laugh his ass off at Neji, and asked how much Neji had paid her for the pity date.

THAT certainly did not amuse Neji. Kiba stopped laughing once Neji's gentle fist showed it's not so gentle self. Though it was unfortunate that he lost his temper and composure, he didn't regret it at all, as far as he was concerned, Kiba Inuzuka had it coming. Things didn't get much better after that. No one mistook them as a couple. Everyone thought they were simply friends. Everyone, not even children mistook them for a couple.

"Good thing we haven't left yet…or our cover would have been blown." Tenten muttered with a slight smile.

Neji was becoming desperate. No one on the rookie nine was fooled, not Lee, none of their teachers, not a single ninja in the village, he was about ready to go see HER to win the challenge.

Tenten's eyes widened with surprise as they went into THE restaurant. _Neji's not that desperate, he couldn't be…could he?_

"Hello Matsuna-san."

Oh dear mother, Hokage, and gods above. He WAS that desperate!

"Ah, one moment Hyuuga-san." The old wrinkled lady turned back to the two in front of her the girl was five, the boy at least 17 they were so similar in looks, they had to be siblings. "Now you two lovebirds go on home and have a nice night. I wish you two nothing but love and happiness in your future."

Tenten smirked at Neji. "Someone's running out of options." She sang under her breath.

"You never said who had to say we were a couple."

"Desperate." Tenten muttered.

"Be quiet Tenten."

"Ah, Neji-kun, Neji-kun. What can I get for you and you're lovely little friend here?" She looked at Tenten, "It's so nice to see Neji-kun with such a stunning young lady. You really should consider dating the dear; he could use a feminine touch in his life."

Neji suddenly wished he had admitted defeat at Kiba.

Tenten decided to offer some assistance, mainly out of sheer pity. "But ma'am, we are dating."

The old lady leaned close to Tenten and whispered, though Neji could easily hear her, "There's no need to lie dear I mean, it's well and all that you're trying; but the boy is much too frigid to be dating you. I admire your courage though dear, keep trying. You may be able to melt the icy walls around his heart."

Tenten had to keep from laughing 'Melting the icy walls around his heart' beat 'hold her hand like you would a lotus blossom' by light-years in the cliché department.

The lady straitened up as though she hadn't said a thing. "Now then Neji-dear. What can this old lady do for you and your friend?"

"Never mind Matsuna-san, it's nothing."

"Whatever you say dear. Be kind to this girl and take her out for a date sometime. It'll do you both some good."

Neji had to fight his entire body to keep from grimacing, "Yes Matsuna-san, I'll do that."

"Alright then. Have a good day dears."

Neji walked out of the store, back straight, no longer holding Tenten's hand.

Tenten could not stop the smirk on her lips. "Wow..."

"Not a word Tenten." Neji didn't hide his glare; something he usually spared Tenten, unless she deserved it.

She did deserve it. "She wasn't fooled."

"Tenten..."

"Not even a little. Not even when I argued."

"Tenten."

"She's always fooled, but we didn't, we couldn't."

"Tenten." Neji all but snapped. A Hyuuga had too much dignity to snap. "That is enough."

"Sorry." Tenten chuckled, rubbing her arm.

Neji took a deep breath this was going to be one of the most unwanted things he had ever done in his life. "Tenten," he sighed. "I admit that I am ill prepared in the act of mimicking a man in a romantic relationship and will accept your lessons on acting."

Tenten didn't bother to hide her snort, only Neji could admit defeat like that.

"Good. Now, come with me Neji, you have to learn a year's worth of romance in two weeks."

* * *

Neji had to chew the inside of his cheek to keep from voicing his complaints yes, he understood he needed to feel relaxed in Tenten's presence, he understood that touching would be involved, and that cuddling may happen as well, but he had been sitting on the same, irritating couch for four hours now watching what had to be the world's dumbest, longest, girly chick flick.

The fact that Tenten had said as part of his training, he was not permitted to leave or remove his arm from her waist until the movie was over, seemed much more bothersome since Tenten had fallen asleep TEN MINUTES into the movie. If not for the fact Tenten had told him to watch the movie and threatened a quiz, Neji would be about as alert as she was at the moment. Sure enough, just as the credits started to role Tenten opened her eyes with a yawn.

"What happened?"

"You feel asleep." Neji responded blandly.

"Oh… do you remember what happened?"

"It was a horrible movie."

"Okay, fair enough. Remember what happened two hours in?"

"Unfortunately. Arachi confessed his undying love to Himeno when-"

"Wait, wait." Tenten interrupted. "The movie lasts two hours?"

"It lasted four."

"Seriously? Wow, like wow. Four whole hours? And you're still awake?"

Neji's eyebrow twitched, he allowed himself to show the emotion, he was too annoyed not to indulge in the guilty pleasure. "You told me to stay awake and watch all of it."

"And you listened to me. Wow, just wow. I thought that me falling asleep would clue you in." Tenten started giggling "The WHOLE movie?"

"Yes." Neji ground out. "The ENTIRE movie."

"Wow. Four whole hours." She looked at the clock. "We missed dinner. Let's go out and eat."

Neji was sure his entire body twitched, he was above needing apologies for such a small thing, but did she really feel no remorse for the evil deed she had done? Her tone wasn't even slightly apologetic!

"Neji, come on. Where do you want to go?"

"Why do we need to go out? I can cook here." He was a superior cook to Tenten, though he would never admit having such a skill. It was far too... useless to be a ninja skill he would not call anything he did girly.

"Because," Tenten drawled "we need to go out, in public, and practice couple things. You wearing an apron and cooking food is something you don't need to practice."

"Do not refer to me as a housewife."

"Then don't wear my aprons if you don't want to be mocked."

Neji had to bite back a retort. Wearing aprons didn't insult his masculinity, admitting he did it to keep his white clothes white, because stains were a bitch to get out, did. With a sigh, Neji admitted, not a defeat, but a secession to Tenten. "Where do you want to go?"

"Hmmm...How about... Akiko's?" Tenten smirked. It was a fancy, romantic girly restaurant; a favorite for young couples.

It was so popular, in fact, that they had a wall plastered with picture of couples who proposed in their restaurant, Neji held in a shudder. He had only been inside once, but the image of rich pink fabrics, candle light, and red and white roses refused to leave his mind peacefully. Even now, it was putting up too big a fight for it to be dragged kicking and screaming out of his mind… but, he did know that it would be a good place to train his deception skills. Plus, he knew that there had been a reason he put so much money in his wallet this morning.

"I'll even pay this time, since you paid last time."

Neji winced mentally, again. He would not force Tenten to treat him. His father had taught him to be a better gentleman than that in the short amount of time they had together that, and his pride wouldn't tolerate him being taken care of by a girl.

If he had an inner Neji, it would have been thoroughly scandalized by the mere mention of a girl paying though, if he had an inner Neji, his sanity probably would have lasted as long as the average ninja's and no where near as long as his had, and still was ...and he was rambling mentally now and Tenten was looking at him strangely…and damnit! _That movie must have killed brain cells with its horrible girly clichés and bad romances and_…and he was still rambling in his head...

"There will be no need for that Tenten. I can pay for the two of us."

"But you've paid all those other times." Tenten argued half heartedly "I can pay at least once-"

"That will not be necessary." Neji had no idea why Tenten was arguing so much, especially when they both knew that Tenten enjoyed being treated like this.

"I can at least help pay-"

"No."

"But-"

"No."

"At least-"

"No."

"Let me-"

"No."

"Pay-"

"Tenten..."

"For myself."

"No."

"But-"

"No. If I have to say it one more time I will make you watch that horrible abomination of a movie, twice."

Tenten smirked. "What that a joke or a threat?"

"I do not make jokes Tenten."

"Yeah. It sounded like a threat to me too."

Neji sighed. He hoped the night would pass quickly.

The result had been... better than it had been earlier. At least now Tenten was being mistaken for his cousin, and sometimes sister, rather than a random friend. One would think the lack of Byakugan would clue people in that they weren't related but yes, sister was a step up from friend though it made him think of incest… which made him think of him and Hinata… which made him want to watch the movie again to kill the brain cells connected to that image, that, and help him forget how much money he spent on tiny portions with more dressing than actual food.

"Well, that was better than last time," Tenten sighed, sitting on the couch.

Of course it was better for her, she LIKED the gaudy restaurant with its nauseating colors and twitch inducing music, though, he was sure she only liked it because he didn't. He swore she got some sick, sadistic pleasure from watching him have to act relaxed and comfortable in that den of harpies and idiotic lovers…and he was talking to himself again. If things kept going the way they were, he'd go insane before the mission even began.

"Well, I think we did as much as we could for tonight. I'll see you tomorrow Neji." Tenten stripped off her outer shirt, left in only a tank top that was wrinkled, and her baggy pants.

As she walked to her room Neji felt the urge to groan, he was suppose to pretend to be married to that for seven months.

* * *

As if the previous day hadn't been hell on earth, the next day just had to go and be worse. "Excuse me? I don't believe I heard you correctly." Neji looked strangely at Tenten she had not just said what he had just heard, she just... couldn't have.

"We need to practice kissing." Tenten repeated slowly as through she was talking to an overexcited Lee, he wasn't Lee god dammit.

"I know how to kiss Tenten."

"But can you do it well?" Tenten asked. "Lovers know how to kiss each other you know."

"We're supposed to be newlyweds Tenten."

"Yeah, that too."

Neji sighed. "We don't need to kiss in public."

"Yes we do."

"Why?"

"We're going to be newlyweds Neji, and that's how newlyweds are, lovey-dovey, completely infatuated with each other!"

"We don't need to be exhibitionists."

"Kiss me on the cheek like you did in the restaurant and I'm going to be mistaken as your sister again."

"That woman was blind and had no common sense. Who on earth would take their sister to that restaurant?"

"A desperate someone." She muttered.

"I am not desperate."

"Nope, just frigid."

"I am not frigid."

"Yes you are. If you weren't, you'd be desperate to be single, and you can't be desperate with those looks."

He cocked an eyebrow. "Are you calling me attractive?"

"Well, even Hinata thinks that you have an attractive face, and don't listen to Kiba going on and on about your sexy body..." and then Shino got jealous and excused them, dragging Kiba to the bedroom, then Hinata blushed and apologized before following, but she knew Neji was still squicky about their relationship so she'd leave that part out.

"Where do you hear these things?" Neji asked, shaking his head slightly.

"Hang around with Ino long enough and you'll learn things about love lives no one else does. I think she abuses her mind transfer jutsu honestly."

"It wouldn't surprise me. I am still not having some demented kissing practice with you."

"Scared? Suck it up and be a man Neji."

"I am not afraid, and I don't need to kiss you to reaffirm my masculinity. I am quite aware of how male I am."

"As am I. Just because not everyone understands your hair, doesn't mean I'm fooled."

Neji took a deep breath "My hair does not make me any less masculine."

"No... But it makes you prettier."

With an inner growl of annoyance Neji leaned forward and kissed Tenten on the lips chastely.

Tenten rolled her eyes and Neji moved away. "That was pathetic. Kiss me like that again, and people won't think I'm anything but your sister."

Neji allowed himself a roll of his eyes. "I don't need to pin you to the wall and ravish you to prove that we're married."

Tenten had to think of the time she had walked in on her parents to keep blood from erupting from her nose.

_Neji. Wall, pin. Ravish? _Was that smoke coming from her ears, or did the mental image fry her brain that badly?

She mentally waved away the smoke away and forced a look of normalcy on her face, it would have worked better if her cheeks had not been stained a dark red. "Of course not! You don't have to ravish me! You just need to kiss me gently, but firmly and romantically, with love and desire in your heart and soul."

Neji looked at her. "Kounichi classes?"

"They brainwash young girls into romance and you know it."

"So I've noticed."

"Now, this may be too much for you, but let's try this again. And try to put some emotion into it this time."

Neji allowed himself another roll of the eyes and leaned forward slowly, he pressed his lips to Tenten's. Feeling her relax slightly, he nipped Tenten's bottom lip, slipping his tongue inside when they parted with a gasp.

Tenten's mind went into overdrive. His scent, his hand on her cheek, the other holding her hip, the way his tongue twisted just so...

Neji pulled away, removing his hands. "Well? Was that any better?"

Tenten took a moment to gather her thoughts before mentally smacking the smile off her face. "No. Not better at all."

"And I suppose lousy kisses always make you blush like that?"

"Maybe this is just embarrassing for me."

"So are you admitting you enjoyed it, or saying that you hated it?"

"I didn't hate it. But you still need to learn how to kiss properly." She said carefully.

"I know there was nothing wrong with that kiss." Neji frowned.

"But it wasn't the right kind of kiss! It was too passionate, too lustful."

"Wasn't I supposed to aim for passion?"

"That was the wrong kind of passion. We need love, not lust." Tenten leaned forward. "Now, let's try this again."

"How is a kiss supposed to be passionate and loving, but not lustful?" Neji asked.

"Well, consider this. Love is the emotion you feel for the wife that you want to spend the rest of your life with. Lust is what you feel for the one night stand after your girlfriend dumps you."

Neji again, allowed himself a roll of the eyes. "How romantic."

"You wanted an answer to your question, I gave you it." Tenten straightened up. "If you need a better explanation..." Tenten leaned forward and kissed Neji.


	2. Chapter 2

**Disillusioned**

**By: Faraway Dawn & Kigen**

**Disclaimer: We don't own anything. But we are putting Kishimoto's characters to great use! **

**AN: This fanfic is the product of an RP. That's right a role play. If you can figure out who's who kudos to ya. And since I don't really mention it anywhere else, Neji, Tenten, and Lee are 20 going on 21. Therefore, members of the rookie nine would be 19 closing in on 20. What? You thought I'd let hormonal teenagers run rampant in our fic? Bah. Nah. Hormonal adults maybe…**

* * *

****

Chapter 2

Neji immediately moved to take dominance but Tenten grabbed his wrists and restrained him. Now, it wasn't like he couldn't easily overpower her and take the dominance that should rightfully have been his, but he stayed still and submissive. There must have been some reason that Tenten was asserting herself, right?

Tenten pulled away, a smirk on her face when she caught a glimpse of the faint blush on his cheeks and the slightly dazed look in his eyes. "That's the way you're supposed to kiss me."

"How did you learn to kiss so dominantly?" Neji raised an elegant brow.

"We had to learn how to kiss, in school...and well, I hate to put this image in your head, but my partner was about as dominant as Hinata."

Neji's face was calm and poised but inside he felt like gagging. Despite the fact that Tenten had not meant it there was now a horrible mental image of Tenten and Hinata kissing. And oh dear kami-sama above the retinal agony that it wreaked upon him, Hinata was the only straight one in her relationship!

"Neji? Hello? Um... that last line didn't kill you, did it?" Tenten looked at his face with some concern. "Neji? Are you still with me?"

As Tenten began to wave a hand in front of his face Neji grabbed it to still it. "I'm fine Tenten," he was still grimacing inwardly from the mental images.

"Are you sure? Your face looks a little... off..."

"I'm fine."

"All right then." Tenten smiled. "Once you're one hundred percent sure you won't gag or something, pucker up."

"What?

"We still need to practice kissing. Just because I can kiss you properly, doesn't mean you can."

Neji sighed. "Can't we just be finished for tonight?"

"Are my ears deceiving me? Is Hyuuga Neji really asking to finish practice early? The world must be ending! Quick, we need to go check to see if Lee and Gai are still wearing spandex!"

Neji looked at her.

Tenten chuckled. "Come on. It was at least a little funny."

"Hardly."

"Right." Tenten leaned back. "You can't just stop anyways. When we're on the mission and you want to stop and head home, I'm gonna be heading right to the same house."

"I won't have to kiss you if we're alone in a house."

"You will if enemy nin are watching."

Neji sighed. "Let's get this over with."

"Glad to know kissing me is such a chore."

"Shut up and let me kiss you damn it."

"Swearing now? I'm honored to know I'm drawing such reactions out of you."

Neji was almost growling with frustration. Tenten had decided to be teasing and mocking today. He leaned over and kissed her, not to shut her up, as much as get her to stop talking. And yes, in his mind there was a difference between the two.

Tenten however, was happy to be silenced, she wrapped her arms around his neck, and happily kissed back.

Neji pulled back after a few moments, lips swollen. "How was that?"

"Better."

"Better?"

"Yeah, you're getting better; but you're still lacking…"

"Am I?" He asked noting the very faint blush that still tinted her cheeks when he kissed her.

"Yep." Tenten smiled. "Guess we'll just need to practice until you get it right."

Three hours later, Neji bit his tongue for the fifth time that night. Tenten had to be making this up now.

"Come on Neji. One more time. You've almost got it perfectly now"

"Tenten, we've been practicing kissing for three hours straight now. I know I had it 'perfect' with the fourth kiss."

"Yeah, the kiss part. We still need to work on expression and hand placement. It doesn't matter how lovingly you're kissing me if you don't look like you're enjoying it."

"My hand placement is precise and my facial expression is flawless. What else is there possibly to be corrected?"

"Your demeanor."

"You've corrected my demeanor sixty seven times-"

"Keeping count? Anal much?"

"I needed something more interesting to pay attention to rather then 'how to tilt my head just so it looks like I'm completely focused on the kiss' "

"Focus completely on this kiss instead of what number it is, and maybe you'd be able to tilt your head at the right angle."

"I am titling my head just like you instructed."

"And you jerk every time I touch you."

"You didn't need to stick your hand up my shirt."

"Yes I did! We need to act at least a little sexual with each other. We're going to be twenty-one year old newly weds, not a seventy-six year old married for forever and a day couple!"

"You pinched my nipple."

"And you were suppose to moan or something. Not push me away."

"I will repeat myself. You pinched my nipple."

"What? Did I squeeze too hard?"

Neji took a deep breath "We're supposed to be slightly sexual with each other. We don't need to be groping each other in public."

"And be mistaken as an incestuous, again sorry for the mental image, couple coming to terms with ourselves?"

"We aren't related."

"Keep telling that to the people mistaking that we are."

Neji looked at her, he wanted to be childish and say it, wanted to so badly…

"Now, we're going to do this again." Tenten leaned forward and pressed their lips together.

Neji automatically went though the learned movements, one hand cupping her cheek rough fingertips grazing and stroking softly at the skin below her ear.

His other arm slipped below hers, cradling the back of her head, eyes fluttering shut with a deceptive softness, tongue teasing, pleading lips pressing and opening. With a soft whisper Neji murmured against Tenten's lips. "If I had my hand where yours is now, I'd be slapped."

"If we're pretending to be married then I'm sure you've done worse." she whispered back.

"To you or to someone else?"

"If you did do this to someone else then you're not the honest man I thought I married."

"Oh? And what about your classes in the academy?"

"They don't count."

"Then my classes on seduction don't count either."

That perked Tenten up. "Boys had courses on seduction? Liar."

"We didn't have a course. We had a few classes." Neji corrected.

"Really? And who was your partner Neji?"

Neji's pale cheeks turned the lightest shade of pink. "That is not an important matter."

"Aw, come on. Spill."

"It's none of your concern."

"Why not?"

Because Neji didn't want to remember it. The warm and gentle hands, the body that was so submissive when he took charge, and so dominant when he was told to be submissive, the strange lips that fitted pleasantly against his own, the strong arms that cradled his body, and the soft mewling sounds that the boy made when Neji's hands caressed his body. Dear kami-sama, 1st, 2nd, 3rd and 4th above, he should not have enjoyed making out with Lee AT ALL!

"Come on." Tenten pleaded. "You have to tell me."

"I do not have to do anything but follow my orders."

"Then I order you to tell me."

"We're not on a mission, and you have no authority over me." Neji pointed out.

"But I'm in charge of training right now." Tenten argued. "So I have authority."

"You are not the squad leader, nor does training count."

Dammit he was cheating, but Tenten wouldn't let that stop her. "I'll find out eventually."

"I'm sure you will." Neji humored her.

Tenten leaned forward. "Come on Neji. Please?" she fluttered her eyes. Neji resisted the urge to roll his own.

"Tenten, I have been your teammate since we were twelve. That never worked on me then, you think it'll work on me now?"

"I'm your fiancé now. It should."

"We're only pretending to be engaged."

Tenten nodded. "If we went by what people thought, we'd be siblings."

"Not if you keep pinching my nipples they won't."

"Squeal or gasp or moan or something, just once. I wanna hear it, please? I'll stop if you do."

"No."

"But-"

"No, and practice is over for tonight."

"Our mission is in a week Neji. We have to practice-"

"If anything needs practice, you need to learn to act meeker and less... Enthused."

"I'm your wife; I have every right to be enthusiastic."

"Not that enthusiastic." Neji sighed. It had been a long stressful day of kissing.

The week followed in a very similar way. More practice, much to Neji's increasing annoyance. Days were flying by that he normally spent training. A mere two days away from their departure date from Konoha, looked to be no different.

"Okay, today's mission-"

"For the eighth time Tenten, you are not the mission leader. And the mission hasn't even started yet."

"You said you didn't need couple's training anymore. So I'm going to give you a test, if you pass, then there'll be no more classes from me."

He stared at her incredulously as she explained his task. "I beg your pardon? You want me to convince _him_?"

"Oh that's only half of what you need to do. That will prove your deception skills to me." She smiled innocently flipping a kunai over each of her fingers before letting it rest in her hand.

He had a bad feeling about this.

"First you convince Kakashi that you and I are more than just a pair of old friends that might be seeing each other. You need to make him believe we've been together." She looked thoughtfully at the light passing through the trees above her.

"You want me to convince him that we have been, and are sleeping together?"

"Mhm. Not too difficult…" She smirked.

Why was she smirking like that? "The point of doing that is?" There just had to be some bigger reason this was what she wanted him to do.

"Because the gossip network is larger than this entire village's chakra networks combined." Tenten looked at Neji with a small smile. If Kakashi told one person, it would go everywhere in an instant. She was counting entirely on that. "After that you personally MUST convince Kiba."

"I don't care if he believes it or not." Neji answered picking up the last of her kunai. Practicing with her like they used to, had turned out to be very good stress relief, especially since now her fondness for explosive tags made it harder to counter her every attack. He had insisted that today they get in some training at least. "What good does convincing him do you anyway?"

"If you didn't care you wouldn't have hit him," Tenten thought for a moment before answering his question. "and convincing him means you know how to act sexual with me in public."

"I did more than just hit him." He muttered under his breath. Did she really say that he had to prove he could be sexual with her in public?

"My point exactly. You care just as much as I do about what he said. Really Neji, do I look like the kind of girl who would date someone out of pity?"

He did look at her, and no, no she did not look remotely like the kind of girl to date someone out of pity. As far as he knew, Tenten wasn't the kind of girl to, well, date.

"And are you even the type to ask someone out, much less pay them to go out with you?"

He gave her a look.

She knew it to mean 'absolutely not' or something along the lines of 'not even if I were dying.' She muttered under her breath. "Of course not, you're too good looking to need a pity date or to pay someone."

He cocked an eyebrow at her. She had already indirectly called him attractive and now she had very directly done it. "Am I now?"

He had expected her to react more. "Well yeah, really if you asked any random girl in the village out they'd probably say yes in a heartbeat. I know you don't pay much attention to the way the girls look at you but most of them would jump you if they got the chance."

He decided not to ask how it was she knew that.

"I'll set it all up just expect to be going somewhere tonight. You get to work on convincing Kakashi-sensei. We leave in two days Neji." She snatched the kunai he threw towards her out of the air and put it away. "I know I can pull off docile young newly-wed wife pretty well."

Neji held back his urge to roll his eyes. That was hard to believe with some of the 'training' she'd been putting him through.

"Anyway, I'll see you in an hour or so Neji. I've got to go finish packing." She rubbed her head in frustration. "Sakura and Ino are helping me."

Neji smirked darkly. Sakura and Ino could be quite annoying, and if they were helping Tenten pack, he was certain she would be in for at least an hour of hell. "I would pity you if you hadn't made me sit through that entire movie."

"You're still on about that?" She called over her shoulder running off. "Remember! One hour! Then you convince Kakashi-sensei!"

That hour didn't last nearly as long as he wanted it to. He waited a block away from her home and she smirked when she saw him. "Ready to go then?"

"Let's just get this over with." He said pushing away from the fence he was leaning against. They walked a short while before coming up on a particular store.

"Well, Sakura said he's always in there this time of day. Go for it Neji." She bit back silent laughter at his hesitance to enter the store. _Oh just go in already Neji. Just remember, I'll be watching._ A few minutes later, he managed to open the door.

Neji entered the small, seedy store, trying to withhold the look of disgust and embarrassment on his face. There were lewd pictures on the wall, lubricants, jellies, outfits, and he wasn't even going to look at the 'toy' section. _Damn Tenten. Of course she'd come up with something cruel like this._

Sure enough, the perverted jounin was browsing through the erotic novels a few feet away from the overstocked wall of condoms. Neji heaved a sigh and headed over.

Kakashi glanced up slightly. He heard the door open and close. People generally didn't come into this particular shop at this time of day. He peeked over the edge of the book he had been glancing through. It would just have to be the last person he ever expected to see in a shop like that who came in too. _Hyuuga Neji? Here? The novels just might have to wait a few seconds._

Neji examined the wall with annoyance. Why the hell were there so many different types of condoms? Different size he could understand, but what was the difference between ultra thin and mega thin?_ Flavored condoms? What's the point of that?_ Momentarily distracted, he pretended to ignore Kakashi's presence.

Kakashi flipped through one of the books again. He'd already read it, but the Hyuuga boy didn't know that. "Normally I'd only ever catch Kiba, Naruto, or Sasuke in here." he glanced at the wall Neji's eyes were fixed on. "Second on the right isn't half bad. What exactly are you doing in here anyway?" Kakashi wasn't entirely sure if this was in fact Neji in the shop. It could be another prank of Naruto's. A Hyuuga there of all places? The proverbial human glacier of the entire Hyuuga clan even? Well, it piqued his interest slightly.

"What does it look like I'm here for?" he shot Kakashi an icy glare that only Sasuke could contend with. A light pink graced his cheeks_. "_Now, go away." It was pointless, seeing as he was supposed to convince Kakashi he was dating Tenten, but he also knew that the jounin would not leave so easily.

"Oh touchy." Kakashi set aside the novel he had been flipping through in favor of another. "Well you're the last one I'd expect to see in here." Truth be told, he didn't think anyone could put up with Neji long enough for Neji to have any interest in anything at the store. Again, curiosity was getting the better of him. "So who's the shopping for anyway?" Maybe it wasn't one of the girls...

"Just because your students don't care for girls, doesn't mean I don't." he glared. "Besides, who I'm dating is none of your business. Go read more of your books if you want to be entertained."

"You mean to tell me you are dating someone then? News to me." Kakashi fingered through a new book. The kid simply had to be joking. Word would have spread through the single female population fast if one of Konoha's most eligible bachelors was suddenly no longer eligible, and if word got to the women, word got everywhere.

"I was trying to keep it away from gossiping mouths, though soon everyone will know if you have your hand in it." His shoulders were tense, his hands fisted. His body language practically screaming embarrassment and annoyance. His hand lifted to choose a box, when he paused. Exactly what size was he?

"So who is the lucky girl? Not many of the girls your age are still single except..." Kakashi stopped. _No, not possible._ He had a bad feeling the kid was going to ask him how he knew who was or wasn't single anyway.

"How do you know about the love lives of people my age?" He arched a brow, looking at the back of one of the boxes. Going by the directions, he was a large. "I'm not even sure I want to know what you're thinking."

"The only people who know more about people's love lives than Ino, are the Hokage, but she makes it her business to know, and Naruto, whose information source is Sakura. Rather reliable source, of course if Naruto gets a drink or two in him, all that information is divulged to me." Kakashi shrugged. Well the kid asked, he got an answer. "So, back to my first question. Who's the lucky girl?"

"If your sources are as reliable as you say. You'll find out soon enough." He was doing this so he didn't have to do anymore damn training with Tenten. He didn't want another movie. He didn't want another dinner at Akiko's. If he left Kakashi now, he'd have to endure all that, and probably worse.

Kakashi laughed quietly. _Way too uptight to be faking it_. He was really giving it his all to keep it secret, and his sheer embarrassment in the shop was a sign that he'd never really been in one before. _Must be his first._ Kakashi mused. "I don't think I'd even need to pry it out of a drunken Naruto." There were only a few girls that general age it could be, at least that were single. The first was unlikely, too shy, even more shy than the Hyuuga heiress was in her youth. The others were just fangirl-ish, and the last? Well, from what Gai had said the two of them were best friends. "If I had to venture a guess-no. I might believe you were dating someone, but _her_?" Konoha's own 'Weapons Mistress' was the only girl Neji was even seen with.

Neji's eye twitched violently, knowing exactly who Kakashi meant by 'her.' "I'm not seeing anyone of your concern Kakashi-san." He grabbed the box and spun about. "Now leave me alone. I have someone waiting for me."

Kakashi eyed Neji with intense interest. Well, at least it was very clear who he was seeing. That just left one question begging to be asked. "She's been sent on quite a few assassination missions recently, obviously chosen for her aim." The Hyuuga was annoyed, very annoyed. He saw the twitch of the boy's eye but- "She ever do anything kinky with those weapons of hers? I mean, so many of them, weapon master and all, you can't help but wonder."

Neji's jaw dropped, his cheeks turned a brilliant scarlet. "That's none of your business!" He would later deny that his voice had risen several octaves. Throwing more money then the condoms were worth at the counter, Neji stormed off, leaving Kakashi smiling behind his mask.

Kakashi just chuckled slightly as an old man paid for his things and headed out of the shop. Outside a safe distance away from the shop and Neji, Tenten finally released her jutsu, laughing hysterically. She'd have to cut Neji some slack today, that was the performance of a life time. From how it looked on her end of the shop, Kakashi even fell for it.

"I win." Neji spat later when he found Tenten. "That dirty pervert is convinced we're dating. No. More. Training."

Biting back laughter, Tenten held her hand up. "A-agreed. You've certainly earned a few days off." She still couldn't believe the extent he had taken his plan to, to convince Kakashi. "I-I hate to break it to you Neji b-but-" she was doing her best to not laugh. She was still reeling from Kakashi asking if she did anything kinky with her weapons. "You still need to convince Kiba. I promise it won't be half as embarrassing as that probably was."

"I convinced Kakashi. Kiba'll be convinced before tomorrow's over if we leave it alone." He glared.

Tenten rolled her eyes. "Neji he asked how much you paid me for a pity date. He's not going to believe it that easily." Kiba wasn't going to be fooled easily, Tenten was more than willing to give Kiba the credit he deserved for being the fastest of the rookie nine to tell they were lying. "Besides, just because you proved you can deceive a pervert, doesn't mean you can adequately act sexual with me in public. I've got it covered, girls got a lot of training on this stuff, but we'll talk about that later. Let me at least get you some lunch at a normal restaurant to make up for that ordeal." She jerked her head in the direction of the shop.

Neji paused. "And by normal restaurant you mean...?" if Tenten thought Akiko's was a romantic restaurant, he wasn't trusting her terms for normal.

"That Chinese place you like. What you didn't expect me to say something like Akiko's did you?" She laughed. She hated restaurants like Akiko's. They were good for only two purposes: training and punishment.

"I wouldn't put it past you." he agreed following. "I'll pay though."

"Oh no! You always pay, you deserve a meal on me Neji. After all this, you know you want to."

"No, I don't." he said. "If you're really sorry, you won't argue with me like always."

"Fine, you pay, but with my money." she gave him an apologetic look. "I promise I'll never argue about you paying again if you do."

"No. I will pay with my money." he was being stubborn.

"My money, or I'll tell Gai-sensei about that time you said you had a headache." She wouldn't put it past Neji to have forcibly forgotten that event. Neji didn't get sick often, and his control over the Byakugan wasn't so perfect back then, but when the two clashed…She bit her lip to keep from laughing at the memory. Neji saw a little bit more than he wanted to that day. "You probably shouldn't have told me what was really wrong. Makes for good blackmail now."

"And I'll tell Gai-sensei what those balls he bought you were really for." he had his share of blackmail too.

Tenten froze before resuming her pace beside Neji. Oh, that was an even more horrific day than Neji's 'headache.' "How about we split the check." She didn't even know how Neji knew about those, she couldn't remember telling him. She was a bit amused that he knew what they were really for though. "Consider it payment for you to retain your silence."

"Or I'll pay for the whole thing, and you drop it."

Tenten sighed in resignation. Neji wasn't going to be backing down, and sometimes arguing with him was more exhausting than her pride would allow her to admit. "Fine, but you're going to wish you'd let me cover half of it when I tell you where you're going tonight."

"I refuse to set foot in that hell of pink lace again." he swore. He was not going to Akiko's, even if it cost him his freedom.

"Oh, we're not going there Neji." She smirked. No, this place would be quite a few steps up from Akiko's by anyone's standards.

"What are you plotting Tenten?"

"You'll just have to find out later. You'll thank me for it one day though, I'm going to make it so it will take minimal effort for you to convince Kiba." she threw him a sideways glance. "That, and it will demonstrate easily in a manner of a few minutes that you can act sexual with me in public. Two birds with one stone. Hard to pass up a chance like that, and if you succeed, well two days of freedom before the mission starts."

"You're going to take me to a bar or something, aren't you?" He glared.

She smirked darkly. "Call it a club."

He stopped. "You are not taking me to one of those drunken raves to grind with you and a majority of Konoha's teenage population." He had seen this coming.

She stopped and shrugged. "That or Akiko's for your last two days a free man in Konoha before the mission. Take your pick. I'm not the mission leader but if I tell Tsunade-sama that you can't adequately fool one of our own friends, I doubt she'll let the mission get underway until you have." Tenten smirked well aware that she might actually win this argument. "Remember Neji, you have more mission experience than me, but I have more of this kind of mission experience."

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**Please be a kind reader and review. **

**I have a tendency to withhold updates until I get enough reviews to justify more updates. Kigen and I have about thirteen chapters pre-written and ready to post (that's right pre-written),the only thing determining how fast chapters go up are the readers/reviewers.**

**Is Neji seriously going to a club??? Meh, you'll have to review to find out. **

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	3. Chapter 3

Disillusioned

By: Faraway Dawn & Kigen

Disclaimer: We don't own anything. But we are putting Kishimoto's characters to great use!

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Chapter 3

"I completed the task. I convinced Kakashi we were a couple; a couple doing inappropriate things." he glared. "You can not bring up old tasks after setting priority on new ones."

"It's not though! Neji do I look like the kind of girl to pity date someone?"

"It's Kiba. It took Shino pinning him to a wall to make him realize he liked him." he said, deadpanning. "It took Hinata taking off her shirt to make him realize she liked him."

Tenten crossed her arms and glared at Neji. "And apparently it takes nothing for him to think YOU paid ME for a date. Neji this is personal. Like I said, I'll take it to Tsunade-sama, because you know Kiba isn't going to believe it until you prove it."

"Do you want me to hump your leg like a dog him heat in front of him?"

"You're just proving my point that you don't know how to be sexual with me in public..."

"I know the body language for sexuality. Kiba's just dense."

She chuckled slightly turning the corner. Yeah, if he knew so much about the body language for sexuality... "Oh so that's why that crazy old woman thought you were too frigid to be dating me, yeah you've got it down to an art Neji."

"She was senile." He was not pouting, not even mentally. "I'll go to your club thing tonight, and prove to you that I no longer need training."

Tenten held back a smile. He wasn't easy to manipulate, but if she wanted to, she could do it. "Deal. If you pull it off, I'll even stop taking it easy on you when we train. I've been holding back on you, you know."

"What kind of pink, frilly hell do you plan on me through?" he had never know Tenten to be this cruel in all their years of friendship.

"Pink frilly hell?" she laughed again. "Neji, I mean training. You know, like we used to, before missions took up ninety percent of our lives." Pink frilly hell, what did he think she was a sadist? "Remember? I throw weapons at you, you either deflect them all or dodge them all? Then you beat me. As usual."

He knew that Tenten was holding back at least part of the way. After all, he had never been stabbed in a lethal place yet. "I'll believe that when I see it."

She stopped outside the restaurant. "Hehe. I only hold back so I don't hurt you too badly. Wouldn't want you ending up like my mission targets."

"I know you were avoiding lethal blows. I don't fully believe you were holding back." he opened the door for Tenten.

Tenten smiled and looked Neji directly in the eyes before heading inside. "Believe it."

Neji waited until they were seated before resuming his conversation. "If you have been holding back with me, then for how long?"

"Hm." Tenten looked thoughtful for a few minutes. "Around the time I started using explosives more. I admit up till then you had me beat easily. I didn't even really mind all that much. I figured you insisted on training with me for a reason so as long as I was still able to help you out, it didn't matter if I couldn't beat you."

She glanced over the menu and found her usual, a few of the spiciest things on the menu, easily the cheapest too. More than anything she hated that Neji was always buying for her, so she tried to keep her end of the tab to a minimum. "Then I noticed around the time I became a jounin that I was a lot more competitive than I thought. All in all, I guess I've been holding back for about four or five years."

"You expect me to believe you were holding back for that long?" He raised a brow. He was still arrogant for his age.

She couldn't help but smile. Neji was the genius of their old team, he rarely gave her the credit she deserved for some things. "Well we've been sent on a lot of separate missions since we passed the chuunin exams. Sure a lot of our missions were the same, but you didn't see some of the things they had me do. I got into a lot more life and death scenarios than I care to recall. If you were my enemy, I doubt you'd be leaving a battle with me capable of walking, certainly not capable of using your hands for anything."

"If I couldn't use my hands, then it'd make our mission a lot less fun for you." he muttered. He'd believe it when he saw it.

She laughed innocently. She didn't quite catch what he said but it sounded something like their mission being less fun if he couldn't use his hands. "I'd prefer you never have to see me fight like that though. I was actually a bit scared when I got my first missions as a jounin." She stopped. No, that was her first assassination. Not a pleasant experience, not one she cared to bring up over lunch. "Haven't you ever once gotten a bit scared on any of your solo missions?" She looked at him. Neji admit to being scared? Not happening.

"Nervous, yes. Unsure of the outcomes, yes. But I have never been afraid of the missions I was on." It was true too. He was never afraid of dying or being injured. Though at times he did fear the outcomes.

"I envy you." She paused to order, same as usual, jasmine tea, spicy noodles, and stir fried chicken, peanuts, and vegetables in a red chili pepper sauce. They were her personal favorites. Lee had tried to eat some once, and had tears in his eyes for hours.

"For not being scared?" He ordered honey chicken with ginger, along with plain white rice and dumplings.

She nodded. "I was so scared I almost couldn't move. It was my first mission alone, and...well," she shifted slightly and sipped her tea. "I guess I bit off a bit more than I could chew at the time. I'd never been scared of my missions until then."

"It's natural to be scared when faced with a mission that it seems you can not complete, or when you think you may die." He paused, taking a sip of his green tea. "As long as you don't allow those feelings to control you, there is nothing to be ashamed of."

She nodded. He was right, he usually was. Neji was the only person she discussed any of her missions with. He was the only one who wouldn't overreact to some of them. "Well, you remember the Hokage didn't let me leave the medical ward for a few days after I got back from that mission right?" She ate some of her noodles when their food arrived. Just as she expected, her eyes watered a bit. If a person wanted spicy food this was the only place in the village to go.

"Yes. She said you had gotten a few serious injuries, even though they were not lethal." Neji saw the slight red tinting Tenten cheeks and almost rolled his eyes. What was the point of eating food so hot it made you cry?

"Yeah well, that was a lie." She took an unnaturally large sip of her tea. "She was concerned about my mental state after the mission, I mean, I did nearly die on it. My injuries were so severe she treated me personally. If she hadn't I probably would have been hospitalized for a few weeks."

"You were traumatized?" He asked, placing his chopsticks down. "What happened to you on your first mission?" It wasn't concern in his voice, he wasn't concerned. Tenten had obviously made it out okay, so there was nothing to be concerned about. He was merely curious.

"It was an assassination. I was kind of surprised I'd be given a mission like that. Then again, what's a weapons master good for?" She picked at a bit of her food. "All the information I was given was wrong. I figured that out quickly. I managed to gather the correct information easily enough but-" she ate a few more of her noodles.

Neji was always the first to know of her missions, she just didn't mention this one for certain reasons. He was the last person she wanted seeing her as weak. "I was out numbered, they were ready for me, I managed to take out my target, but one of me against about twenty jounin?" Tenten laughed a bit. "I amazed myself when I made it out alive." She stopped to test a bit of her stir-fry.

Neji was silent a moment, before biting into a dumpling. "I think in that situation, even I would be afraid." It was the highest bit of praise he could give.

She glanced up slightly. "Well I pulled out all the stops on them. Things I wouldn't dare use fighting you. I took a few senbon needles in my back. I don't know what kind of poisons they used, but Shizune filled me in when they released me." She laughed a bit. It was hard to believe now, that her first mission had nearly cost her very life. She knew she had improved significantly since that day, but the near outcome was always in the back of her mind on solo missions. "I guess it could have killed me. Shizune said if I hadn't been exposed to so many various poisons over the years it probably would have stopped my heart." She reached for her tea, the stir-fry definitely had more of a kick to it than last time.

Neji nodded, nursing his tea. "It's the first mission that makes or breaks you." He was lucky, in his first real mission where he had almost died, he was with his friends.

Tenten nodded and continued with her stir-fry. "I haven't told anyone else about that mission. I didn't want anyone to think I was weak or anything." Another sip of tea. "Anyway it's all in the past. I learned a lot from nearly dying alone."

"No one would think you weak. Inexperienced, but that was your first mission. Most would not be able to perform as well as you had in such a case."

She smiled. Neji never passed out compliments, and that was as close to one as she could hope to get. She pointed her chopsticks at him. "Thanks Neji. You know, I was the most worried about telling you about it."

"And why would you be worried about telling me?" He would think that he'd be the one she'd be the least worried about telling. After all, he understood her better than most, at least he hoped.

"You're pretty hard on people Neji. You've been my best friend since they split us up into teams." She stared at her tea. How did you say 'I didn't want to let you down.' without actually saying it? He had always had such high expectations of people and as his teammate she had strived to meet them. She'd be damned if she failed her best friend.

"I may be hard, but I'm not an idiot. The first mission alone, the first one when you almost die is always hard." he raised a brow. "If anything, I'm impressed you were able to find out the proper information and take on so many, as well as complete the mission. You're foolish to have thought otherwise."

She smiled again. He had no idea what a relief it was to hear him say that. "Some people think I'm too emotional to do what I do though." She looked up and smiled cheerfully. "I remember when Sasuke ran away, when they brought you back." She looked down at her food. That had really scared the hell out of her.

"Were you scared for me Tenten?" Neji put down his chopsticks, looking at her. Her eyes were closed as she smiled, she usually did that when she didn't want him to see sadness in them.

She had been terrified. How else was she supposed to react when they said Neji was back, but in critical condition, and hell, he might not survive? How many hours had she sat wondering if her friend would leave that room alive? "Terrified. They said you might not make it." She opened her eyes slightly.

Looking away, Neji picked his drink back up. "You shouldn't have been worried. If I had died, it would have been from my own careless mistake." Neji didn't want to see the tears he knew were building.

"If you thought your best friend was going to die, wouldn't you have been worried?" Tenten quickly grabbed her noodles. Spicy food was great cover for emotions.

"I would have, but that was years ago Tenten. You shouldn't still carry such feelings when everything turned out fine."

She laughed quietly. "You see why some people think I'm too emotional for this kind of life?" She took hold of her tea again. "This stuff is a lot hotter than last time. Anyway, some people don't think I'm cut out for this. They say I care too much." She looked at Neji. Neji was one of those people who very much believed emotion had no place in the life of a shinobi. "It doesn't make me bad at what I do, just reminds me that I'm still human."

"There is nothing wrong with emotions as long as you can keep them separate from missions." he said. "And if it reminds you that you're human, that's even better. It means you won't lose yourself to your duty."

"Wouldn't want that to happen." she shoved her noodles lightly toward Neji. The usual dare. He never took her up on it. Lee had, and had sorely paid the price for it. "What about you though? They've sent you on worse missions than I've been sent on. Your last one was pretty bad from what I heard."

"I have, but I have ways of dealing with the stress." Ways she would never learn of. "And stop trying to force those disgusting noodles on me." he wrinkled his nose, eating his plain, white rice.

She laughed. "No guts at all I swear. For someone who can handle the worst of the worst, you can't even try spicy noodles. What's wrong Neji? Scared you'll bawl as much as Lee did?" She pulled the bowl back and finished off the noodles.

"They simply aren't my taste." he finished his tea. "And I would never bawl like Lee."

She chuckled before finishing her stir-fry. "I hope not. I still feel bad for him about it." she smirked at Neji slightly. "If you had taken them I would have let you get out of convincing Kiba though."

"... Then why didn't you tell me before you finished them?"

She stared at him in shock. He would have... she almost couldn't contain a fit of laughter. "You really would have eaten them? That's so desperate."

"I don't want to go to your damned club."

"Too late now."

"And if I order more noodles?"

She shook her head. "Too late, I offered, you refused. Chance lost."

Neji muttered in his mind, and paid for the bill.

"It really won't be all that bad I promise! Just uh, dress casual, like you know, civilian casual." Tenten hid a smirk. She wasn't sure if Neji had any 'casual' clothes.

"Casual?" he raised an eyebrow. "And what pertains to the term, casual?"

"Civilian casual." Tenten nodded to a man on the other side of the restaurant. "See that? Pants and a shirt. Very simple." she rolled her eyes. "Neji you don't even have casual clothes do you?"

"... None you would call so. I have never had a need for them before."

"This is going to be one sickly amusing night then." When she thought of it, that club was her stress relief. It was amazing what a drink and loud music did for nerves. She glanced at her former teammate. "Oh boy, you've never even seen me in 'civilian attire' have you?" She blinked a few times. No, she could not recall a time when Neji had seen her in pants that were not baggy. Or in a shirt that accentuated certain...features. "I had to get some for a mission once..."

"I've seen you in your civilian clothing." By that he meant her in non-jounin issued gear. Her usual cargo pants and Chinese style shirts. Nothing flashy.

She smirked. "Ok then..." _You keep telling yourself that Neji. _"So you won't be surprised at all tonight. Good to know!"

"I doubt I will be." He turned, starting to head home. Hopefully if he left now, Tenten wouldn't take him clothes shopping or something horrible like that.

Tenten watched him head home. "I'll see you in a few hours Neji!" she called after him. She almost felt bad for him. He really had no idea what he was in store for.

* * *

A few hours later, Neji arrived at Tenten's house in dark gray slacks and a white buttoned shirt. His hair was in a tight ponytail at the base of his neck, and he wore a normal headband rather then his ninja one. It was the most normal thing he owned.

Tenten glanced out her window. He was right on time as usual, and as expected, dressed as 'casual' as one could expect Neji to be dressed. She glanced at the mirror. She didn't expect him to react much when he saw her, hell if he even recognized her.

She left her house from the back door and went around the house to lean against the wall near the front. "You waiting for someone in particular?" she called to him. Her hair was down, covering the shoulders her shirt did not cover. Her pants were tighter than anything she was comfortable wearing, but they did show off her figure, a lot. She mentally twitched. Maybe she should have worn looser pants.

"Yes." Neji spared a glance before returning to waiting. He paused a moment, sending her another look. The girl was pretty, and looked like she was on her way to a party somewhere. There was something familiar about her though, those eyes, that smile, even the chakra signature. "Are you a relative of Tenten's?"

She bit back her laughter. Hadn't he said earlier he wouldn't be surprised by her? Oh, this was going to be a treat. "I thought you knew what to expect Neji." She pushed off the wall lightly. "Thought you'd seen me in my civilian clothes."

Neji blinked before scowling. "Civilian clothes, yes. Not... how is that shirt even staying on you?"

"I'm not really sure actually." she chuckled. "Like I said, I had to make a purchase for one of my missions once. You're about the only one who hasn't seen me in this though. You're the only one who doesn't go out every once in a while."

"I don't like going to such noisy, disorderly places. Why would I do something I don't enjoy?" he turned, starting to walk to the club.

Tenten hurried after him. "It's really not that bad. It's only bad when some random guy gropes your ass." She glanced at him out of the corner of her eye. "And yes that's happened to me more times than I care to admit. I don't know why, I figured Ino would have to worry about it more than me."

"I suppose it's easier to grope the ass of a woman who's just dancing, rather than one who's throwing herself at various men."

"Heh, I suppose. Well that's part of your job tonight. Make sure no one's groping mine. The only hands on me tonight had better be yours." She stared ahead. That came out all wrong, thankfully Neji wasn't the perverted type, he wouldn't twist that...she didn't think.

"So you want me to grope your ass so others don't?" He was grumpy at being forced to do this, and would be a smartass.

"Hey if that's where you want your hands to be go for it. I was going to recommend my waist. I didn't think you the grabbing ass type Neji." Two could play the smartass game if he was going to.

"If I were. I wouldn't be fondling yours." He muttered. He wasn't pouting. Hyuuga didn't pout.

"If you weren't my best friend and were in fact my boyfriend you'd be sleeping on the couch tonight." She laughed quietly.

"If I slept on your couch, your mother would throw a fit. I still don't quite understand why she insists I spend the night in your room every time I visit."

Tenten rolled her eyes. Neji had no idea how much her mother simply adored him. Even her father, of all people, had no qualms about Neji staying in her room, WITH her. "Neji if you can't tell that my parents love you like a son, you aren't the genius I thought you were."

"I think they're just glad that it's me and not Lee." He stopped short, half a block from the club. "Please tell me this isn't' it."

Tenten stopped. "Yep. This is it."

"No." He glared at her. "I am not setting foot inside that building."

"Yes you are." She smirked, she could feel the music from where they were.

"No. I refuse."

"You don't get a choice this time. This or Akiko's Neji. At least here, if you do things just right, you could get us out of here in ten or fifteen minutes. Akiko's though? Oh, I could make you sit there for hours."

"Fine. Ten minutes."

"You're going to have to do some serious work in ten minutes." She raised her eyebrows at him. Did Neji even know how to...dance?

"And I'm not dancing."

"It's not hard. How else are you going to pull off being sexual with me? I told you subtle ways do the trick."

"I can be subtle without grinding into you like a drunken monkey."

"I never told you it had to be drunken." She smirked.

"Nor do I have to be a monkey." he raised a brow stepping inside. "I told you, such places don't suit my tastes Tenten. If we were really dating, I wouldn't take you some place so crash."

She smirked slightly, almost interested by where he would take her. She pulled him out onto the floor with her making certain Kiba was in direct sight. Dancing was more her thing, she found the beat and just went with it. "So where would you take me?" She made sure they were close enough that she would not have to shout to be heard.

Neji frowned, he wasn't going to shout, so rather he spoke in her ear, he still had to talk loudly, but only she could hear. "I'd take you someplace we'd both enjoy." God the other people were annoying. They kept bumping into him. Placing his hands on her hips, he stepped closer so there was a less chance of them being shoved apart. His hips swayed with hers, because as ridiculous as he felt, he felt even more ridiculous standing still as she danced. "I'd take you to a place where you'd enjoy yourself, but we could be alone. Where I could show you affection and care that can not be shown in front of a mass of drunken teenagers."

"Wow Neji, you don't seem remotely the romantic type." Did he really say where they could be...alone? Nope! She was not going to allow her thoughts to wander down that path. It was the remnants of that silly old crush she had on him talking.

"I'm not really. Candlelight dinners and roses do nothing for me." He leaned closer, and away from the guy who was backwards grinding into him. "However I do like to send time, alone, with those who interest me. So I can learn more about them...so I can create a deeper bond with them."

Tenten was glad it was so dark. She knew she was blushing slightly. The less he saw the better. She glanced around. Kiba was watching, well not watching so much as ogling, and if her mind wasn't playing tricks on her, she and Neji were a lot closer than they had started.

"And where would you go, if you were really dating me Tenten?" He was bumped into, causing him to grind into Tenten's thigh.

Unlike Neji, she was accustomed to the close contact the club often forced upon it's visitors, so it didn't bother her much when the guy behind him knocked Neji closer. She instead, thought about his question. There were hundreds of places she could think of, oddly, all that would involve them being alone, completely alone, together. "Not here." She glared at Kiba out of the corner of her eye. "This is just personal. I'd rather be somewhere alone, somewhere relaxing. Outside or something..." She mentally smacked herself. She was thinking about what he said too much. Where would she want to go if they were dating? That old empty field, at night, stargazing and talking. That was her idea of romantic.

"Mm.." Neji nodded. "That would be much preferred to this.." He looked to the side. "Kiba's drooling."

"Well maybe once we get out of here that could be arranged...but Neji?"

"Yes Tenten?" The way Kiba was gawking him, he had to be thinking he and Tenten were together.

She looked up at him slightly mortified by what she was about to ask. "Who's he drooling over? Me or you?"

"..." Neji actually made a face as the mental image assaulted him. "I'm not even dignifying that with a response."

"You want to seal the deal and lay any doubts in his mind to rest?" She nodded her head lightly in the direction of Kiba.

"I think he's rather well convinced. Or do you just want me to grope your ass?"

She leaned a bit closer to Neji. "He looks convinced but is he? You don't need to grope my ass to do it either just..." She leaned a bit closer and kept her voice low, but still loud enough for him to hear. All he had to do was kiss her once then nod his head to the door. Even an idiot would catch the suggestion in that. If Kiba didn't believe it after that, he never would believe it. "And it's that simple."

"He's going to be imaging us doing things then." He wrinkled his nose, fighting the green twinge that wanted to cover his cheeks.

"That's right, and it will leave him with not a doubt in his mind, especially with your run in with Kakashi earlier, which, has gone around the town faster than a wild fire."

"Fine." Neji sighed leaning down. He kissed Tenten's lips, firmly, his hand trailing slowly down her back, there was no tongue, no rabid making out, but it would be enough to get the point across.

Tenten suppressed the light shiver aching to run down her spine. Even without him really kissing her like they would have to in the months ahead, what little he was doing was going to bring that old crush back if she wasn't careful. She pulled away slowly looking at him, waiting for him to nod to the door. Tenten made sure she could catch Kiba's reaction.

"Come on. I can't stand this guy who seems intent to rape my ass anymore." He muttered, taking her by the waist and leading her out.

She smiled slightly. "Yeah that tends to happen a lot." Once they were outside she breathed in deeply and laughed. "Well you passed. No more training for you."

He breathed a sigh of relief. "Finally the hell ends."

Tenten laughed quietly. "Yeah and I can get out of these damn clothes. It's still really early though." she glanced up at the sky. It couldn't be more than half past nine. "Way too early to go to bed."

"Then do you want to go for a walk?" He wasn't quite ready to go home yet either.

"Can I change first?" She was sure he could tell by the sound of her voice that even though she was willing to leave her house in what she was wearing, she wasn't entirely thrilled about remaining in her current attire.

"You bragged so much about your civilian clothing and now you want to take it off?" Neji smirked, though they headed for her house.

"I only wear this if I intend to be out all night dancing, or if I'm stuck seducing someone like I was on one of my more recent missions. I'm just glad that bastard told me what I wanted to know before I had to take anything off." She hated missions that required the seduction arts. She'd rather fight an entire village alone than willingly do one of those missions. She only landed that mission because she was the only one available.

"I knew it wasn't to your tastes." The arrogant, superior look was on his face again.

"You know me too well." When they got to her house she went in the back again. She changed quickly throwing on one of her Chinese tops and a pair of her standard cargo pants. Tenten pulled her hair into a quick ponytail just to get it out of the way before heading back outside. She took the back again, to avoid being asked where she was going.

"Still sneaking out the back?" he stood, waiting for her. "I knew those were your real clothes."

Tenten nodded. "You really want my mom to ask if you're out here waiting, so she can gush over you and insist you come in for a while?"

"I'll pass." He shook his head. "Last time she tried to make me eat those chocolate brick things."

"It's a really good thing you didn't eat those too."

"What were they?"

"She got them for my dad...mixed them up with normal chocolates." she smirked and looked up at the sky. "I'm sure you have a really good idea of what was in them."

"...Why do you insist on putting such horrible mental images in my head?"

"You asked. I answered. I told you my parents never stopped acting like newly-weds."

"But still..." he trailed off "never mind I don't want to know."

"Come on we should get a bit further away before my mom does notice you're here." _Or worse, before my dad notices. _

"Please." Turning, he made his way to the woods, and not the usual training grounds.

Tenten walked beside him, most of the girls she knew would have thought this an awkward situation. Alone with Neji at night, yeah, most of the girls would have a field day. They however, were friends, it's not like they hadn't done this a few times before. "You think you'll miss anything about Konoha while we're gone?"

"The weather, it storms all the time in Lightning Country." He said, stopping. He sat on a rock, waiting for Tenten to sit with him.

Tenten sat beside him. "Lovely. I can't even remember the last time it rained here."

"The last time we trained with Gai-sensei and Lee." he deadpanned. One hundred laps around Konoha in the rain was not fun.

Tenten stared ahead at nothing in particular. "Oh yeah." She shook her head a few times to be rid of the memory. It was pouring that day, and sure enough one hundred laps around Konoha was fine and dandy, but the power of youth was not to be denied. "Didn't those hundred laps turn into a lot more?"

"Three hundred, then we ditched." Hot food had made the day much better.

"Yeah I remember now." She leaned back slightly. It was hard to see the sky through the trees but she could make out a few stars. "We were freezing until we got some food in us."

"You were still cold even after that; and insisted I buy you hot chocolate." He himself had warmed up with hot tea.

"I think they were still running laps when we finished." She could remember a lot of times when they ditched Gai-sensei and Lee, whose training was a bit much sometimes for Neji and herself. They had always been the more practical pair when it came to training in their former team.

"No. They had moves to the sit-up competition." He muttered darkly.

Tenten cringed. Oh gods the sit-ups. She didn't want to remember that.

"At least they didn't run a marathon this time."

"I don't know how they do half the stuff they do sometimes." She had taken to playing with a bit of the grass nearby. "Anything else you're going to miss?"

"Mmm... Not that I can think of."

"At least you won't get homesick."

He nodded. That was true, he wasn't going to be all that homesick.

"I'm going to miss the freedom." Tenten said quietly, enjoying the dark and warm spring air of the woods.

He nodded. "It'll be hard to live under constant surveillance."

"It's going to be weird not being able to do things like this."

"Why? We'll just have to pretend to be a couple while doing it."

Tenten eyed their surroundings. They wouldn't be able to just go where they pleased and talk in the middle of nowhere. They held status in Konoha that they would not hold elsewhere. "Yeah but we're going to have to watch what we say. We don't have to here."

He raised a brow. "I suppose you don't have to worry too much about what you say here."

Tenten looked at him. She knew what he was getting at. "Neither do you here. It's just you and me." She looked up at the sky again. He wasn't the small caged bird he was in the past. At least, she didn't think he was. "We've always been able to talk freely here right?" She hoped that, just like in the past, he could still talk to her about anything.

He thought for a moment, before nodding. "Yeah we have." It was hard to admit that, he hadn't been able to for a long time.

"We haven't been out here in a while. The path is almost overgrown." Tenten looked at what had once been the path. The grass that had grown up was almost knee high. "We used to come out here a lot when we were younger." she giggled to herself. The girls used to think something was going on with her and Neji.

"It was one of the few quiet places in the town." He had enjoyed it because it was secluded and peaceful. "Though it would have been better if those friends of yours didn't keep trying to stalk us."

"Well they stopped when they realized nothing was going on. That we'd just sit here and talk."

"What else would we have been doing other than training or talking?" He turned to her, eyebrows raised.

Tenten blinked a few times before turning to him. "You don't know?" Well it really didn't surprise her all that much. He wouldn't have heard much of the gossip among the girls.

"What? Did they think we were having secret meetings to make passionate love like in those stupid romance manga you used to read?"

"Yeah something like that. Didn't you ever see the kind of death glares the girls used to give me? None of them cared when I said we were just friends."

"We were twelve. Isn't that a little young to be thinking of such things?" He knew he never had any impure thoughts until a much later age... not that he had any at the moment.

"They're girls Neji." She looked down and smiled. A few of the girls in their class had it bad for Neji. "One of the girls who used to like you when we were younger actually told me it was a pity I didn't die on my mission."

"And you cared?" Neji snorted. It was hard to imagine Tenten getting upset over some pitiful fangirl.

"I told her she was welcome to take me on if she thought it would win your affections. I told her it would be a high price to pay, a few limbs, for a very good chance you'd tell her to go to hell."

Neji let out a soft chuckle, barely audible. "Tell her to go to hell? You assumed I'd actually talk to her?"

"I couldn't bring myself to shatter her delusions that badly. That's your department."

"I'm mildly curious. How did she react to your challenge?"

Tenten laughed. "She said she'd see me in a few days. I never saw her after that unless she was running away from me."

He smirked at the thought. "The boys were much more discrete with you."

Tenten looked at Neji. "What?" _The boys?_ She blinked a few times and tilted her head to the side. _What boys?_

"The boys who always stared at you. They usually shut up when I got close." He remembered, there were a few boys, usually a year or two older, who had held an interest in Tenten. However, rather than stalking her as his fan girls had done, they just watched from afar.

"You're trying to tell me more than one person actually had some sort of interest in me?" She couldn't remember any boys seeing her as anything besides competition.

"There were a handful. Most were put off because you were usually with Lee or myself." Anyone would be put off by Lee's fire's of youth. Except for Sakura now, but that was a different story.

She nudged him lightly with her elbow. "So I have you two to blame for my lack of romance."

"Are you complaining?" He leaned back, looking up at the sky. It was rather clear, and the moon was nearly full.

She smiled contently. No, she wasn't complaining at all. Her life was too hectic for romance, and even if it weren't, they had obviously failed to capture her interest. "Nope. Remind me to thank Lee the next time I see him. I think you already know how grateful I am that you spared me from all that drama."

Neji nodded, stretching out. "The mission is going to last a long time." he smirked. "Think we'll get sick of each other?"

She glanced at him, he was obviously more relaxed than he was earlier. "I hope not." she smiled. _I suppose that's why we were chosen for this mission. We have the closest bond out of the old teams, we understand each other, and above all else, we don't annoy each other._

He nodded. They stayed there a long time, not talking much outside small chit chat, until it was late at night. "We should go now. Tomorrow's the last day before the mission. You'll need to rest." he stood. "I'll walk you home."

* * *

Lookie, see? Readers plus reviewers equals chapters!

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Please do so again! It is much appreciated!


	4. Chapter 4

Disillusioned

By: Faraway Dawn & Kigen

Disclaimer: We don't own anything. But we are putting Kishimoto's characters to great use!

This chapter is being put out earlier than I intended due to some just plain awesome reviews.

* * *

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Chapter 4

When Tenten woke the next morning she couldn't help but grumble. Today she'd be spending most of the day with Ino and Sakura, who had insisted they help her gather a few more things before her mission. Ino specifically insisted she teach Tenten a few 'stylish' things.

All in all it wasn't total hell. The make up had to have been the worst part of it. When Ino mentioned make-up, Tenten immediately decided she'd rather run a couple hundred laps around Konoha with Lee and Gai in the rain. "You can't really expect me to go out wearing this stuff!" she stared in the mirror in horror.

Ino tsked, hands on her hips. "You my dear, are pretending to be a young, newly wed. A completely average, simple, bubbly housewife, who never graduated from the ninja academy. Yes, I expect you to wear it."

Sakura nodded in agreement. "At least we chose colors to accent your features instead of going wild with it."

Tenten twitched. This was utterly horrifying. "I look like a girl!!!"

"That's the point." Ino sighed, shaking her head. "No more ninja clothes for you girl. You are a civilian now, and you will wear normal, fashionable clothing."

Sakura glanced through Tenten's clothes. "She doesn't even have a dress..."

"Forget dresses. She doesn't even have any sexy underwear."

Sakura stared at Ino in shock. "She doesn't?!"

"All cotton in bland colors."

Tenten twitched again. Unlike Neji, she had no trouble what so ever displaying her dislike for the way conversation was going. "Why the hell would I have 'sexy underwear'?"

"You are a newly wed. Boring undies are a no-no." Ino answered shifting things about in Tenten's drawers.

"I'm surprised you don't, I mean I thought you and Neji were...you know." Sakura looked at her intently.

Tenten blinked. Kakashi obviously did his work fast.

"Yeah, that was the main reason you got picked for the mission, right?" The blonde girl sighed and shut the drawers in defeat. Not a single pair of sexy panties meant they would have to go shopping.

Tenten resisted her urge to comment the way she'd have liked. She so badly wanted to say 'because we're the only normal pair in Konoha.' but she held it back. She opted to play along. "U-uh yeah...I guess..."

"So, why no cute undies? Or does Neji like you best in the nude?" Ino leered.

Tenten tried not to turn red. She tried very hard. She tried to think of something, anything besides what Ino had just said. Walking in on mom and dad!! Yeah that would do it. "I-Ino!!" It wasn't working, for some reason mom and dad very randomly turned into her and...

"Ohhh you're thinking bad thoughts. Spill! Spill, how is he?"

Sakura leaned forward. "Tenten you can't get out of this one. Girls like you don't turn that red for no reason. I've never even seen you blush until today."

"Yeah, tell us."

Sakura smirked. "We both saw how you two danced last night." Sakura grinned in triumph at the look of horror on Tenten's face. "What you didn't really think we'd stay in the night did you? We saw you guys leave pretty early."

"And Kakashi told us about what Neji was buying yesterday, before you hit the clubs."

Tenten stared at the two girls, completely aware of how red her face was. "Y-yeah we left early." Now what?! They were going to want details!! Details she didn't have!

"And what did you do? Tell us!" Ino was in the mood for details. She was Konoha's gossip center.

Tenten stared at the wall behind the girls. _We sat in the woods and talked_. "More than you two have ever done in one night." She answered with surprising ease.

"And how do you know what we've done?" Ino leaned forward.

"Same way you found out about what Neji bought yesterday." Tenten smirked. She'd be gone in a day, she could easily pin this on Kakashi.

"Oh please, Kakashi doesn't know half the stuff I've done." Ino smirked.

Tenten had to agree with Ino on that. Kakashi probably didn't know about half the stuff Ino had done. The girl was rather creative…"Doesn't surprise me." she muttered.

"Tell us details. Don't be stingy."

Sakura nodded enthusiastically. "At the very least, is he a good kisser?! We SAW him kiss you. From where I was standing he didn't look half bad."

They weren't going to let her out of this. Tenten slapped her own forehead lightly. "He's a little too good at it to be honest."

"Go on go on. How big is he?"

Even Sakura turned a bit red. "I-Ino you can't ask that..."

"I just did, spill Tenten!"

Tenten bit her lip. "I didn't take the time to measure. I had better things on my mind."

"Was he huge or just average?"

Tenten could not believe she was being subjected to this. She was sure Neji was having a better day than she was. She stopped to think. The condoms he bought, that thought alone made her turn red, what size were they again? "The condoms he got were large...and I think they might have been a bit small. Does that answer your question?" She could not believe she just said that.

Ino squealed. "How many times did you cum?"

Tenten's eyes widened. "W-What?!" She should have been expecting this question. She should have seen it coming.

"How many times did you cum?"

They were out till about midnight. From about half past nine, till midnight. "W-well...c-counting was kinda far from my mind Ino." She tried to think. They talked for about three hours and then Neji walked her home. "We were out for about three hours, he carried me home. I couldn't walk." Her mom tried to get him to spend the night again. "Mom tried to make him spend the night when she saw how exhausted he looked."

Sakura stared at Tenten. "Your mom asked him to stay the night!?"

Ino squealed with laughter. "And how many times did he cum?"

Sakura nudged Ino. "Forget that, her mom asked him to stay the night!! Did he?!"

"Yeah? Did you two sleep, wrapped in each others arms with sweet dreams?"

"Ino that is so corny." Tenten muttered. "No, we had wild sex for hours after, I had to change my sheets before you guys got here, and Neji went home a few hours before you two got here."

"Really!?"

Tenten sighed. "Yeah why do you think my bed looks so thoroughly used?" She wasn't going to tell them it was because it was old, she was a restless sleeper unless she had something to cuddle, and that she looked so wiped out today because she was thinking about what she would miss almost all night.

Sakura had an evil smirk on her face again. "So Tenten is he rough or gentle?"

"What's his favorite position?" Ino chirped.

"Can't we talk about something else?" Tenten asked desperately.

"No way." Both girls answered in unison.

"Didn't you two want to take me," she gulped. "shopping?"

* * *

"Great! We can shop and gossip."

* * *

Tenten endured her torture while the girls took her shopping. Neither seemed to be aware that she was lying, for which she was grateful. It meant she could at least fool them. Passing through a few streets between shops her eyes occasionally wandered in the direction of the Hyuuga compound. She hoped, for the sake of Neji's sanity, that he was having a better day than she was.

"Tenten!" Ino screamed, waving a lacy black thong. "Try this on! Neji'll love it."

Tenten eyed the garment. "The point of wearing that is what? It doesn't cover anything." she managed to retain her composure. Lace was so girly...

Sakura rolled her eyes. "The point of wearing it is getting it taken off."

"Exactly, try them on."

"Why!? It looks like someone designed dental floss for someone's butt."

"Cause it's sexy."

Tenten pointed to the garment in horror. That was sexy?? Hell no. "There is nothing sexy about that."

"Sure it is, it eludes to what's there, without showing the best part." Ino answered still dangling the thong from her finger.

Sakura blinked at Tenten. "Maybe black isn't her color." She disappeared showing up with an identical thong, in red. "What about red?"

"Have I ever told you that you two are evil incarnate?" Tenten snatched both thongs forcing down the blush creeping into her cheeks. There was no point to buying these. She and Neji were best friends, not lovers, not even really dating.

"You say this now, but when you get back from your mission, you'll be thanking us."

"Mmhm!" Sakura nodded enthusiastically. "She needs a sexier bra though. I saw the ones she has, and I know she still binds her chest."

"Yeah, you have gorgeous breasts Tenten. You should flaunt them."

Tenten nearly walked into a wall. Ino really did just say that didn't she? Sakura however, continued as if it were nothing. "There's a store right around the corner with some good stuff."

"Mmm... maybe a color. Neji seems like he'd be into that whole dominance thing…"

"All lace too! Just think, you can see right through lace...I mean Neji can see through whatever he wants to see through anyway, but just think...he wouldn't have to use his Byakugan to see her."

Tenten forced herself not to blush. Neji wasn't going to be looking anyway.

"But what if lace isn't his kink? What if Neji likes, like, leather or silk or fishnet?" Ino gasped. "We better cover all the basics."

Sakura gasped. "One of everything then?"

"One? We better get a few sets. Don't want to wear out the favorite one too quick."

Tenten groaned quietly. "Are you two trying to get me pregnant on this mission or something?"

"..." Ino gasped. "Oh My God! Little baby Nejis! We have to do it Sakura. For the sake of chibi Nejis!"

Sakura gave Ino a look. "You want Konoha populated with little human glaciers?"

"But, remember the pictures Hinata showed us of Neji when he was four? He was so cute! Besides, we can corrupt his kids to be adorable."

Sakura nodded. "He was adorable in those pictures. If he hadn't been such a human icebox..." Sakura trailed off. Most of the girls could admit to having a slight crush on Neji at some point in time. Facts were facts though, he was too damn frigid to date.

"Yeah Tenten, tell us how you managed to seduce an ice cube."

Tenten stared at them. How did one seduce an ice cube? She hadn't seduced him. He was passing basic acting instruction, nothing more. "He never liked the really girly girls. They stalked him a lot, I used to help him escape them. We've trained together for years, gotten in some deep water together, he saved my life a few times...things just happened."

"So what, you two were friends and just grew into something more?" Ino sighed. "That's kinda... boring actually."

"Not so boring when clothes get ripped in training." Tenten said with a slight smile. That would perk Ino up a bit.

"Did your boobs pop out? Did he turn red? Was he all flustered and red?" Ino squealed a bit when she talked.

"Of course not." Tenten said allowing herself to be dragged into the worst shop in town. Karma really was a bitch, somehow, she just knew all the hell she put Neji through in two weeks was being visited upon her tenfold today.

"Now" Ino held up a pair of what appeared to be plain white panties, with a pink bow in the front. "You have to wear these for Neji."

Tenten twitched. "Not if it was his dying wish."

"No no no. Look here." Ino held them closer. "They're crotch-less!"

Tenten was mortified. _Karma's a bitch_.

"Now, we gotta get some perfume for you!"

"Per-what?" Tenten blinked. Ino did not just say Perfume.

"Perfume. You know, comes in a cute glass bottle that's filled with good smelling liquid."

Sakura looked Tenten over. "Yeah but what kind of perfume? Tenten's not really girly enough for what we got Hinata."

Ino shook her head. "Plum blossom is defiantly out. Something more... natural. A citrus scent maybe? Or something clean, would sandalwood be too masculine?"

"If you're trying to make me smell like Neji, sandalwood does it." Tenten muttered. She froze. _Oh damn, I said that out loud. _

"Neji uses sandalwood?" Ino cooed. "I kinda took him for a vanilla man."

Sakura blinked. Neji smelled like sandalwood huh? "Sandalwood, wow..."

"And soap." Tenten muttered before she could stop herself.

Ino Smirked. "Ooooh. Not sweat and man musk?"

Sakura shook her head. "Nah he's way too...clean. I mean Ino have you seen him? He comes out of battle with barely a fleck of dirt on him."

"Doesn't matter how clean you are once you start having sex... unless you have it in the shower or something." Ino said with an almost thoughtful expression.

"Can you two stay on topic?" Tenten found herself to the point of begging.

Sakura chuckled. She never took Tenten as the type to get so easily embarrassed. "Orange blossom." she announced confidently.

"Yeah. Citrus seems your type." Ino answered looking through a few bottles.

Tenten tilted her head. "Am I going to smell like a total girl?"

"Orange blossom isn't too girly."

Sakura shook her head. "Actually it has a nice, warm, spicy smell."

Ino nodded. "Here try it." she sprayed it on Tenten's inner wrist.

Tenten lifted her wrist closer to her face. It really didn't smell all that bad. It was a warm smell, like Sakura said, and it made her think of summer. The spicy citrus smell made her think of the evening for some reason. "It's...actually very sophisticated." Tenten conceded.

"And Neji oughta' love it." Ino grinned.

Sakura nodded. "Especially since it's not too overpowering. I can't see him liking something like that. Hinata said he hates her perfume." She chuckled. "We got her Vanilla and Lavender. Really girly."

"But Shino seemed to really like it."

"So did Kiba." Sakura said glancing at Ino. "Remember? Shino had to restrain him."

"Kiba likes the smell of wet dogs. He hardly is a standard." Ino sniffed.

Tenten actually laughed a bit. "I couldn't tell who he was drooling over last night, Neji or me." She smirked and held back a fit of laughter. "I think it was Neji though."

"Oh god, that's scary. It's like drooling over Hinata's and Shino's love child." Ino shuddered. "I mean really think of it. The combination works, you know Hinata and Shino's love child, but Kiba drooling over it's all wrong."

Sakura laughed. "I dunno you saw what she was wearing last night, Kiba might have been drooling over you Tenten."

"I hope not." Tenten finished her purchases. She agreed, the perfume wasn't that bad, and decided to buy it. Her eyes again drifted in the direction of the Hyuuga compound. The rumors had gone very far very fast, she couldn't help but wonder how Neji's uncle took it.

"Ohhh... Eager to see him already?" Ino giggled, leaning close. "Starting tomorrow you'll be alone with him."

Tenten jumped slightly. "W-What?" She figured she looked spaced out, then she realized, she was glancing in the direction of the Hyuuga compound...again.

"You're staring so longingly at his house. Is that were you did it last night?"

"No. Just hoping he's not having a stressful day." Tenten couldn't help but hope that the Hyuuga elders and Neji's uncle, Hiashi, didn't blow the rumors out of proportion. She'd really feel bad if Neji caught hell for it.

"Aww. Cute." Ino grabbed her hand. "Come on, we still gotta go to the beauty salon and get you a dress."

Sakura pushed Tenten from behind. "That one store has some really cute dresses...There was a nice white and red one the other day." Sakura wouldn't lie, while Tenten definitely needed more color, white and red were actually very flattering on her.

"Noooo Sakura. We gotta get a wedding dress, then we gotta kidnap Neji."

"You two are insane." Tenten grumbled.

"But Tenten, we gotta do a mock wedding." Ino announced with glee while she dragged Tenten through the streets.

"Absolutely not!!" She almost yelled. Now more than ever, she envied Neji's ability to control his emotions so well.

"You're a newly wed, you'll need pictures of your wedding or it'll be suspicious!"

"Neji will kill you if you try." Tenten managed to keep back a slight growl in her voice.

Sakura giggled. Yeah, Neji probably would try to kill them.

"We have to. It's for the mission."

"I could just say you two weren't invited and take care of it myself…"

Ino snorted. "That's so stupid. No one will believe it." she put her hands on her hips. "You have to act like a normal girl now Tenten. Not some tomboy never had a date virgin. You need wedding pictures."

Tenten sighed dejectedly. She WAS a tomboy, never had a date, virgin. "You'll have to take it up with Neji."

"Oh we will. First though, you need your hair and makeup done!"

Sakura continued to lightly push Tenten. "Neji's not even going to recognize you."

Tenten scoffed. "He barely recognized me last night." she muttered.

"Then we'll really knock his socks off. Come on." Ino tugged Tenten quickly down a few streets.

The hell never seemed to stop. _Is this what I put Neji through!? No I wasn't nearly this cruel_. Tenten thought staring in horror in yet another mirror a few hours later. Granted, the kimono Sakura had chosen was very pretty, and the hair style Ino had selected made her features look elegant... "I really look like a girl." Tenten groaned.

"You are a girl." Ino rolled her eyes. "Embrace your vagina."

"I-Ino that's not medically-" Sakura stopped. Pointing out it was medically impossible for Tenten to do that was pointless. They had picked out another set of dresses for Tenten with her, but now, now hehe, they needed to find Neji. "We gotta find that man of hers and knock him for a real loop." Sakura looked Tenten over. The weapons mistress had never looked so... "You look stunning Tenten! He'll drool!"

Tenten rolled her eyes. Hyuuga Neji did not drool.

"Or maybe he'll show you how much he liked it at night."

Tenten gave both girls a bored look. _Yeah right, in my childhood dreams alone. I'm so over that anyway. Even if I wasn't, it wouldn't happen._

"Come on Tenten. Perk up. A bride can not look like Sasuke on her wedding day."

"We're not really getting married." Tenten hoped Neji would knock some sense into the girls. She clearly was failing.

"You're pretending you did. " Ino sighed. "At least we're not making you relive your honeymoon."

Sakura laughed. "Yeah you guys took care of that last night."

Ino giggled, before pulling out a box. "And the finishing piece!" To Tenten's lasting horror, they were three inch heels..

Tenten stared at the shoes. "I can't walk on those." She wasn't sure how anyone could.

"Yes you can. You're a ninja!"

"No woman could possibly walk in those comfortably."

"I can. Sakura can. Even Hinata can…kinda."

"Hinata fell a few times, but she got the hang of it." Sakura said quietly. "It's not too hard Tenten. You can walk on water and run up trees. Walking in a pair of heels is easy."

"Yeah, just need a little practice."

Tenten grumbled to herself. "Neji...you so owe me dinner." At least she had made up for the hell she put him through. Sure, this was self-imposed hell, she did ASK Sakura and Ino to help her pack, but she didn't expect it to be this...mentally taxing.

Ino waited until they were in the dressing room to frown. "Uh-uh. Take off the bra before we go."

Tenten blinked. "What do you mean take it off?"

"Take it off. The dress will show your bra line."

Tenten refused to show any sign that she was mortified. She did as she was told, and removed the bra. _This day couldn't possibly get any worse..._

"Ya know... when you walk there's the barest hint of a panty line."

"Hell no!" Tenten nearly yelled.

"You don't have to go panty-less. You could always wear a thong." Ino smiled suggestively.

"No way in hell." Tenten ground out.

"Yes way in hell." Ino countered with an evil smirk.

"No!" Tenten was not going to back down. She was not wearing that dental floss designed for asses.

"Yes or I get the hairpiece back." Ino smirked.

Tenten sighed in resignation. If she put it on, this day could be over with. Then, when she got home, she could take it off, and never wear it again.

"And I know Neji'll love it. He'll probably never want you to wear anything else."

"He's NOT going to see it." Tenten crossed her arms after changing.

"Oh? But he'll undress you after we're done taking pictures and leave."

"He's got better things to do today than mess around." Tenten argued.

"So he doesn't take his time unwrapping his presents?"

Sakura shoved Tenten out the door of the store. "Hehe, come on I don't know the way to the Hyuuga compound very well, you do, we've got a man to please."

"Yeah, but we gotta stop by my house first." Ino said as the door shut behind her. She caught Sakura by her clothes before she got too far.

Sakura glanced at Ino. "What for?"

"Her wedding bouquet of course."

Sakura smiled. "What are you going to put in it?" She nudged Ino a bit. "Lilies...go with lilies."

"Of course, lilies and ferns, baby breath..." she trailed off thinking.

"White orchids?" Sakura suggested.

"Oh, those will be so pretty." she smiled. "And the cake I ordered should be done soon."

"Cake?!" Tenten stared at Ino. Just what was the girl planning?!

"Mmhmm. It's a glossy white with candy sakura blossoms all over it."

"I can't believe you two..."

"What? When you were teaching Neji to be all... romantic and non-prickish, Tsunade-sama asked us to concoct the evidence needed for your back story." Ino explained dully as they walked back to the flower shop.

Tenten looked at Sakura who nodded. "She...she had you two plan our...fake wedding?"

"Who else?" Ino grinned.

Sakura smiled. "Though I admit, Naruto's back story was seriously corny. Getting to plan a wedding, even if it was a fake one, oh that was too much fun."

Ino nodded. "Yes, but neh Tenten. Just think of it as practice for the real wedding later!"

"I don't know what makes you two think there is going to be a 'real' wedding."

"Come on, You two are totally dating, you two lost your cherries to each other. Besides, you two have to be in total love with each other."

Tenten tried not to think about it. She had a bad crush on Neji when they were younger, but she had been over that for a while. Dating Neji would never happen. Marrying him? Nope. Not only would it just not happen, but the Hyuuga clan would certainly never allow their child prodigy to marry a clan outsider.

"Sooo..." Ino handed her the bouquet once it was finished, "Is the first baby gonna be a boy or a girl?"

"It won't happen." Tenten stared at the flowers. Ino had a gift, even if she could be a bit dense with some other things.

Sakura leaned against a counter. "Why not?"

"Yeah, you two are in love, aren't you?"

Tenten rolled her eyes. Sakura and Ino were really naive sometimes. "You really think a clan like the Hyuuga would permit a clan outsider to marry their prodigy?"

"He's from the branch family though, and you're a strong ninja. Besides, if Neji likes you, he should be able to just go with you." Ino said leaning against the counter and adjusting a few more flowers.

"Did you two pay any attention during the first chunin exams?" Tenten stared at the flowers. Had they forgotten what Neji's clan could do to him? "That's just it, he's from the branch family...have you forgotten what they can do to him?"

Ino frowned. "We know what they could do, but you should qualify for a bride. I mean, any family would be happy to have you."

Sakura nodded. "I mean doesn't your family all have your kind of accuracy? And your dad, he makes some of the best weapons in the village."

Tenten shrugged. "Yeah, they said the accuracy with weapons built up over the years." Tenten shifted slightly. "I have the highest accuracy of anyone in my family though."

"So then, I still don't see the problem."

"The Hyuuga would want to keep their bloodline as pure as possible. Most of the branch family are married to distant relatives in the branch family, and occasionally, on very rare conditions, married into the head family." Tenten sighed. Sakura and Ino just didn't get it. "Neji will probably be put into an arranged marriage."

"But how's Neji being put into an arranged marriage when Hinata's shacked up with not only Kiba, but Shino too?"

"Well, there's always Hanabi. Sure she's a lot younger, but I don't know, I wouldn't put it past Hiashi to have Neji marry her." Sakura said leaning on the counter a bit more. "Actually, if you want a pure and strong bloodline, that would probably be a really good choice."

"But it's incest, and Neji's father was an identical twin with Hinata's right? It'd be like marrying your half sister DNA wise."

"Something like that." Sakura agreed. "But since when have any of the old clans cared?"

"I thought Itachi and Sasuke would be the perfect example of why old clans should bring in new blood." Ino muttered.

"Elders make the rules." Tenten muttered. "So are you two done? You going to drag me to the Hyuuga compound and humiliate me in front of Neji-" She narrowed her eyes. "Please don't tell me Lord Hiashi is in on this too..."

"Oh, he knows this is a back story for the mission. We're not going to the Hyuuga compound, too likely to be found out in the pictures. Neji's meeting up at the park with the pavilion for an outside wedding and reception."

Sakura giggled. "Well, Neji doesn't know why he's going there actually, not yet." At least he shouldn't if Shikamaru and Shino had done their work properly.

"The look on his face is going to be priceless." Ino giggled

"He's going to be so annoyed." Tenten groaned.

"Ah, but you'll make it all better."

Yes, she would. She and Neji were probably going to have to have a very very very long talk in some hidden location tonight. They both would have their horror story of the day to tell. It was going to be mutual sympathy for each other.

* * *

Neji frowned, pulling at his hair. "Stop attacking me with the damn brush. Why do I even need to get dressed up?"

Shikamaru leaned against the wall. "Beats me. It's a total drag to be honest." He wasn't going to admit Ino threatened him. Girls were so troublesome...

"I'm in a formal kimono, and Shino is trying to maul me with a hairbrush," Neji narrowed his eyes at the geniuses. "Why are you even here?"

Shikamaru shrugged. "I dunno, I'm just following orders." He eyed Neji for a few seconds. "Make sure it's tied back right. I don't want his uncle whining about it."

"What are you talking about? What orders." He had planned to spend his last day in Konoha, relaxing and meditating, staying within the familiar comforts of his room, only to have Shino and Shikamaru come to visit and force him into said kimono.

Shino tied back Neji's hair. "You'll find out soon enough. Still, why didn't they just have his cousins help him?" Shino was no more thrilled than Neji was.

"Tell me what is going on." He was being dressed up in an uncomfortable robe, and not being told a thing.

Shino remained silent. Shikamaru glanced at Neji. "Sorry, orders are orders."

"Who's giving the orders?" Neji hoped he outranked them.

Shino saw what Neji was getting at. "Someone higher ranked than you."

Swearing to himself. Neji sat and allowed himself to be painfully dressed up.

Shikamaru nodded when they finished. "Yeah he looks good." He almost smirked. "Your uncle was really specific about what you had to wear."

"For what?" Since when did Hiashi-sama give a damn about what he wore?

"None of your business. Shino, get his forehead and eyes covered though."

"You're blindfolding me?" Neji asked, feeling incurious.

"Obviously." Shino muttered. "It's not like it really matters, you can see just fine anyway." He made sure Neji remained still while covering his forehead and eyes.

"Exactly why it makes no sense as to why you're doing something so pointless." he muttered.

"Stop fussing over it and just use your Byakugan." Shikamaru kept an eye on the time. "Hurry up Shino we've only got about fifteen minutes." Ino would have his head if they were late.

"For what?" Neji growled., Byakugan activating. He glared at them through the blindfold.

"You'll find out soon enough." Shino muttered. Neji was clearly going to be in a bad mood. It didn't matter much though, Neji's teammate could smooth over the incident with him.

"I want to know now." He growled, though he allowed himself to be dragged along.

"Tough break man." Shikamaru put a hand on Neji's shoulder. He was entirely too grateful that Neji had landed this mission instead of him. It would be far too much work.

He snarled, jerking away. He would have just turned and went back, but Shikamaru said he had orders, and lord knew that Shikamaru wouldn't do such work unless he had to.

"Man you have no idea how happy I am I didn't get stuck on the mission you're being sent on." Shikamaru drawled out. "I almost did get stuck with it. I can't even imagine..."

"What does me getting dressed up have to do with my mission tomorrow?"

"Jeeze, you really are clueless. How does a guy who can't even figure that out land a girl like Tenten?" Shikamaru liked Tenten as a friend, she was probably the least troublesome girl he knew.

Neji's blood ran cold. Tenten, the wearing of such formal clothing, and the mission. "Hell no." he stopped.

"Bout time you figured it out." Shikamaru dragged Neji along.

Neji struggled. "No. Let go of me now."

Shino tightened his grip on Neji. "Hokage's orders."

Neji glowered. "I refuse," He growled. He was being ridiculous, he knew, but he was not going to submit himself to some fake wedding, most likely done by Sakura and Ino.

"You don't have a choice. Four of us were ordered to back up your mission back-story while Tenten was working with you, I heard you needed some training Neji. Odd, that a boyfriend doesn't know how to be romantic with his own girlfriend. Though, word going around is, that you fixed that problem last night."

"Being romantic in private and being romantic in public are two entirely different things." Neji growled. "Not to mention the subtle differences between two that have been dating a short time, and two who have recently married."

"She did teach you well." Shino muttered more to himself than anyone in particular.

"Yes she did, which is why I'm not going through this."

"Didn't we already tell you, you don't have a choice. Hokage's orders rank well above your personal dislike for what's going on." Shikamaru tugged Neji down a street. They were supposed to be heading to that damn park. "And we're going to be late if you don't hurry up." _I really don't want Ino yelling at me again, she's scary when she's mad...why me? _

Neji emitted a barely audible growl, but followed grudgingly.

"You should just be grateful that Ino was told not to go too crazy with this." Shikamaru nodded sagely as they approached the park. "I mean if she had her way, this would be the real deal."

"I already fear the amount of lace and flowers that will be present."

"I told Sakura to make sure Ino keeps it to a minimum." Shikamaru smirked. "I told her no one deserved a reproduction of Akiko's out there. Yeah, I heard that Tenten dragged you out there Neji."

"And how do you know of the horrors of Akiko's?"

"He has two psychotic blondes competing for him. He's been there more times than he can count." Shino said quietly. He made sure that Shikamaru and Neji did not miss the turn toward the park. Like Shikamaru said, they were running late, and he was sure none of them wanted to incur Ino's wrath.

"I would think the utter pink of that place would burn Temari's retinas."

"That's why girls are troublesome. It's insane what they can put up with to torture their male counterparts."

"Trust me, Tenten has a sadistic streak none of you know of."

"Tenten? Yeah right, how bad could she really be?" Shikamaru almost grumbled. Temari was violent at times and ill tempered, she had her nice moments, but she didn't give a damn if she wanted to give you a piece of her mind. Ino wasn't all that bad, but she was manipulative, and she had more dirt on everyone in Konoha than he was sure existed in all of Sunagakure.

"Did you ever hear of a movie called 'Seduction of Moonlight?'"

Shikamaru shuddered. "Yeah, Ino lent it to Tenten. She...made me...watch it once."

"She made me watch it, and she fell asleep ten minutes into the movie."

"Yeah, that's about when I fell asleep. Ino kept waking me up bu-" Shikamaru would have looked directly at Neji, if it wouldn't be such a waste of effort on his part. "Don't tell me you actually watched the whole thing?"

"Yes." he frowned. "I thought she had watched it before. She was going to quiz me."

"I'd feel bad for you but, the fact that she fell asleep ten minutes in, really should have tipped you off." Shikamaru stopped. "And we're just in time."

* * *

~Because some of your reviews were just that awesome. Do it again and maybe I'll post early again. Maybe.

I know I know! Ino was horribly evil. That's all Kigen, I take no credit for her evil.


	5. Chapter 5

**Disillusioned**

By: Faraway Dawn & Kigen

Disclaimer: We don't own anything. But we are putting Kishimoto's characters to great use!

Warnings: Tenten's mom makes a short appearance in the next two chapters hehe. No she's not crazy or anything…just…a bit…eccentric.

AN: This is the last chapter before the grand scale mission begins. It's a bit longer than the others so far. Hehe. Enjoy, I (faraway dawn) was high on cider while we did this. Kigen was reaping the benefits.

* * *

**Chapter 5**

Shikamaru and Shino forcibly moved Neji deeper into the park. They were on time, but they still had to find Sakura and Ino. Neji wasn't putting up a fight, but he wasn't coming quietly either.

Neji twitched violently. "I'm not going any further."

Shino gave Neji a light shove down the gravel paths. "What part of Hokage's orders didn't you understand?"

"Understanding is not the problem. The utter mortification is." He answered, more than a hint of his annoyance seeping through in his voice.

"I feel worse for Tenten than you, Ino and Sakura took her shopping."

"Karma." Neji muttered, unable to help but think of the hell she had put him through.

Shino continued to shove Neji further into the park while Shikamaru dragged him. A few turns of the path, and in a wide empty clearing of trees, he saw Ino and Sakura looking exceptionally pleased with themselves.

Neji shuddered, releasing his Byakugan. He had no intention of witnessing the unfolding of their plot if he did not have to.

Sakura waved to Shino and Shikamaru before smirking and glancing at Ino. "Oh look at him, he looks great..." She giggled as she eyed Neji's formal attire. "NEJI!! YOU BETTER HAVE THAT BYAKUGAN ACTIVATED OR I'LL PUNCH YOU THROUGH EVERY WALL IN KONOHA!!!!" She yelled at him before muttering something he could not discern under her breath. "We did far too much work for you not to see this."

"If you do that I'll be incapacitated and unable to perform my mission." He would rather be injured that go through the sparkly hell of flowers he knew Ino had managed to string up through the empty glade.

"That's funny. After all that hell I put you through Neji, I thought you wouldn't mind seeing me miserable for an hour or so." Tenten smiled weakly when Sakura stepped to the side. She and Ino were far too proud of how she looked. If they beamed any more Tenten was sure actual rays of light would come off them.

Ino tsked before walking up to Neji. "Don't glower like that. You should be happy on your wedding day." She giggled before poking Neji's cheek. "Come on now, Byakugan on. She spent hours getting ready, the least you could do is look at her."

"You mean you spent hours hauling me around forcing me into this." Tenten grumbled.

Neji grasped Ino's hand, pushing it away. "I don't care. I'm supposed to be blind anyways, there's no point in knowing what she looks like."

"Sure there is!!" Sakura pouted. "You weren't always 'blind', besides, it makes for a romantic story to tell if you can talk about how beautiful your wife was...and how much you wish you could see her face one more time..."

Tenten grimaced at the sound of a girly sigh. _That was so corny. _She thought mentally groaning at the situation. _Too corny._

"If I was blinded before the wedding, I wouldn't know how she looked on our wedding day." Neji scoffed, refusing adamantly to activate his Byakugan. "Let's get this over with."

Sakura leaned over and whispered to Ino, "I don't know how the hell she did it. He's soo…"

"Frigid. Mhm... and tense. Must be wild when he cuts loose." The blonde girl whispered back. Ino was only slightly peeved that Neji wouldn't be able to see the magnificent work she and Sakura had done. Not merely with Tenten either. One look around the usually quiet, barren glade would be enough to stun a small army. Sakura had recruited Lee to help put up simple, but elegant decorations. Even Hinata had chipped in a bit by arranging the flowers with them. _My genius is totally going to waste!_Ino almost glared at Neji for his stubbornness.

Shikamaru chose to ignore what the girls were babbling about. "Alright we're supposed to get pictures...Ino you take care of it. You're better at this stuff." He held out a camera and found a comfortable place to relax.

"Gladly sweetie!" Ino grinned. "Okay, Tenten, Neji, stand under the archway there. Tenten, look like a blushing bride to be. Neji look happy... That's not happy Neji, that's constipated." Ino pouted eyeing Neji's still visible facial expressions.

Neji glared, even though he couldn't see them.

Tenten sighed. She leaned toward Neji and whispered so only he could hear, "Just imagine that I've managed to capture them all, bind them, and leave them to your devices as human punching bags. You know they deserve it." She smiled slightly. "I had been hoping you were having a better day than me."

"Aside from Shino attacking me with a hairbrush when I tried to escape, it went quite well." Neji smirked at the mental image Tenten had painted in his mind. "The exploding tags would be a bit more entertaining to use than just my fists."

"That could be arranged." A smirk on Neji was better than nothing.

"Neji, smile. look happy... You look like you're about to jump Tenten. Save that for the honeymoon!"

Tenten blushed faintly at Ino's comment. Neji didn't look like he was going to jump anyone, but he might kill someone. She kept her voice low. "As soon as all this is over, I'm making a mad dash for some place to hide and plot my revenge. Seriously, explosive tags, I think we'll be needing a lot of those."

"Whatever. It's better then nothing." Ino conceded as she eyed the decorations, trying to find a perfect shot. "Now, hold her close, arm around Tenten's waist. And smile!" Ino clicked away with her camera.

"Neji?" Tenten managed to mutter between multiple flashes of the camera.

"What?" The only reason the smile was still on his face was because he was forcing it. There were many faces ninja had to master, happy ones included.

"Just thought I should tell you, Karma's a bitch." She laughed quietly.

"Who's being punished though? You or me?" He managed to mutter between flashes.

"Sakura and Ino didn't put you in a..." She couldn't do it. No she couldn't say it.

"Put me in a what? A dress?" He snorted. "Wearing a wedding dress is hardly torture."

She buried her face against his shoulder. It was too mortifying. He had no idea, none at all. "N-no a…"

He leaned down to whisper. "You're embarrassed. What about?"

"Neji they put me in a thong!" She whispered viciously. If he had any doubts about who was being punished today, that would lay them to rest.

"And you listened to them?" He blinked, mildly startled. Tenten? In a thong? It did not compute.

"Neji I'm wearing heels, they put me in that butt floss they try to call underwear..." No she wasn't even going to tell him she didn't have a bra on. "They're obviously cruel and sadistic, they could have done worse." She forced those crotchless panties from her mind.

"Like what? Making you wear edible panties for honeymoon pictures?"

"They had crotch less ones, so I wouldn't put it past them."

Neji coughed, his cheeks turned slightly pink. "I hope these pictures are only of the wedding." He muttered.

Tenten leaned slightly closer to him and turned her face away. "Unless you set up cameras in the bedroom that I've yet to become aware of there's no reason we'd have pictures of anything besides a wedding."

Neji relaxed a little at that. "Hopefully at most, we'll just need a few more of our daily lives."

"Those won't be too bad, we can stage those ourselves..." She was still mortified that Tsunade-sama would have gone behind their backs and plotted for their friends to do this to them. She was not surprised, but she was honestly disturbed by it.

"Are we done yet? How many pictures do we need of us just standing here?" Neji muttered, waiting for the shutter happy Ino to give it a rest.

"Now kiss the bride Neji!" Ino called.

Tenten tensed slightly. She knew that was coming, but she was hoping to get out of it. This would be the first, real public kiss. Kissing in a dark club hardly counted compared to this.

Neji had no real reaction of discomfort. It was for the mission. His hand reached for her cheek so he would know where her lips were without using his Byakugan, and leaning down he kissed her gently.

"Aww! Perfect!"

Sakura sighed dreamily. "Yeah, that is just perfect..."

Shikamaru yawned from his seat under a tree filled with an array of flowers. He couldn't help but think that Lee must have had his work cut out for him, even so, Sakura and Ino had done a good job. _Well for girls anyway. _He raised a bored eyebrow at Neji and Tenten. "You can stop kissing her any time man, save it for your mission."

Neji scoffed, pulling away. "Is there anything else we need to do?"

Sakura glanced at Ino. "We were only told to get wedding pictures, I think they can take care of anything else right?"

"But the cake cutting!" Ino flailed her hands, pointing to the pretty white cake with sakura decorations. "They have to cut the cake and feed it to each other."

Tenten twitched. "Not happening!!!"

"Why? You can smash it in his face if it makes you feel better." There was an almost painfully hopeful sound to the blonde's voice.

Tenten was certain she was shaking. There was only so much a girl could handle in one day. Acting like a girl wasn't too bad, the fake wedding was getting on her last nerve though. "Ino you watch way too many girly movies!!!"

"So? I did not spend all my money on a wedding cake you have no intention on eating!"

Tenten shrugged. "That's your own fault. You eat it."

"No. These are Hokage's orders. To make memorable wedding pictures, we need cake eating and dancing and-" She sputtered, waving the camera around in frustration. "Damnit kiss her some more!"

Neji rolled his eyes, it was safe to do so behind the blindfold. No one would ever know. "No."

"Ino don't worry about it. We were chosen for this mission because of how thorough we are. We'll take care of things." Tenten shrugged. "Now I really want to get out of these clothes, but there's only one person I want seeing what's underneath them. So you guys should get going or let us leave at least."

"But, but." Ino sniffled like a child being denied a candy bar. "Shikamaru!"

"What are you looking at me for? You don't really expect me to make them do anything...do you?" He crossed his arms and looked away. _So troublesome_. "Sorry Ino, too much of a drag, if you know what I mean."

She pouted before grabbing his hand. "Fine, if they won't do it, we'll do it. Come on." Before Shikamaru or anyone else realized what had happened, Ino was dragging him away.

"Hey-Hey now wait a minute..." Shikamaru didn't bother struggling, Ino was a lot stronger than she looked.

Sakura blinked a few times at the gravel path Ino and Shikamaru had disappeared down. "Well then...Um I guess I'm off." She looked around. Shino apparently had already left.

"Thank you for your help Sakura. We'll be going now." Neji said as politely as possible.

Sakura nodded. "So after tomorrow you guys won't be back for a good amount of time huh?" It was going to be odd without the training field always being occupied by Neji and Tenten, without an occasional girls night out with all the girls, and without Neji adamantly refusing any medical attention after a mission.

"No. We will be gone, possibly for a few years." He took off the blindfold, blinking in the sudden light. He could faintly make out the decorations as his eyes adjusted to the light. At least, he mused, it wasn't lace.

"That'll be odd." Sakura murmured. It would be like those years Sasuke was gone, the years Naruto was training, the years everyone just grew up so suddenly.

Tenten smiled slightly. "You'll have to occupy Lee for us...I don't want to come back to find him so much like Gai-sensei I can no longer tell them apart."

"You can tell them apart now?" Neji grumbled, still annoyed at the situation.

Tenten nodded once. "Only because Lee still rambles about Sakura and Gai-sensei still challenges Kakashi."

Sakura laughed slightly. "I'll do what I can, but no promises." Lee was a handful, always, but he kept her on her toes.

At long last, Neji glanced at Tenten, and found himself blinking in surprise. _Wow._There was an undetected arch of a did not imagine that she would look so…beautiful. "Thank you again Sakura, but we will be taking our leave now."

"Oh! Before you leave tomorrow, Naruto said he'd have something for you. He'll be seeing you guys off." Sakura waved. "You two take care alright? Incase I don't get to see you tomorrow."

"We will. Goodbye, Sakura."

Tenten watched Sakura run off. "Heading home then?" She glanced at Neji, she was still embarrassed by her appearance. They forced her into a dress, she was stuck in a thong, heels, no bra, gods could it have been any worse?! She planned to go home and change before she headed where she planned to be for most of the day.

"I want to change out of these clothes. I'm sure you do as well." He looked at her, still slightly surprised. She was still holding the bouquet, and looked pretty in the white and red dress the girls had forced upon her.

"No not at all, I fully intend to walk around Konoha all day not only looking like a girl, but practically screaming 'girl'." She said with a sarcastically sweet smile. "Of course I want to change!!!"

"We're a bit bitter, aren't we?" He smirked.

"I'll let them put you in a thong next time instead of hoping your day went better than mine, how's that sound?" She shot him a challenging look. Neji in a thong? Well, that generated all sorts of bad mental pictures.

"Please, don't give them the idea. They'll try it if you even hint they would be able to get away with it."

"Oh, I wouldn't let them." She smiled slightly. "Neji, I'm a cruel instructor, but I'm not that evil. No one would willingly let their best friend get forced into a thong." She shifted uncomfortably. "At least I hope you would have tried to stop them."

"If I was in the same room as you, I would most likely have taken you and left." He assured her.

She sighed with relief. "Good to know." She nodded in the direction of the Hyuuga compound. "Well go on and change." Maybe it was just the drama of the day, or maybe it was that she'd never seen him wear something like that, but Neji looked very handsome today. "That old field I used to practice in...that's where I'm headed after I get out of....all this." She motioned to her clothes. She hoped her mother had managed to make something decent for lunch, she'd take it with her and eat there. It was her favorite place to think.

He nodded, heading into the courtyard of the Hyuuga compound. "I will met you there when I'm finished."

Tenten reached down and pulled off her shoes. She'd never get home if she had to walk in those damned heels. She waved quickly and ran home barefoot, ignoring the stares she received as she turned corners and even crept up along side her own home like a thief. She snuck in the back, as usual, the last thing she needed was for her mother to see her dressed like this.

"Tenten dear, I made some lunches for..." The brunette who so closely resembled her trailed off before dropping a plate on wooden floor. "Tenten, sweetheart…"

Karma really was a bitch. _Damn...so close_. "Ehehehe..." Tenten waved sheepishly at her mother. _So much for not being noticed._ She thought in annoyance. In anything else, she'd willingly face her mother, but in a dress?

"Tenten darling... why are you in a wedding dress?" Her mother stepped a bit closer, eyeing her with bright, honey brown eyes.

"Remember, that mission I told you I'd be going on for a long time?" Tenten glanced around the kitchen. She hadn't actually explained the details of her mission to her mother or father yet, only told them it would take her away from home for a long time. Her eyes wandered around the kitchen, determined not to meet her mother's while she explained the oddity of the mission.

"Yes..." Tenten's mother tailed off, stepping towards her daughter again, ignoring the broken plate on the floor.

"W-well...Neji and I are supposed to be a married couple on it, Tsunade-sama insisted we have cover for our back story so...they...set up a fake wedding..."

"YOU GOT MARRIED TO NEJI-KUN?" Her mother gasped before practically glomping her daughter. "MY BABY!"

"It's not a real wedding mom!!!" Tenten tried to shield herself from the brunt of it, though she knew it a pointless endeavor.

Tenten might have been a ninja, but this was her mother. The woman clung to Tenten, shaking her back and forth. "What does it matter. My baby's getting married, even if the wedding isn't real and going out into the world!" she cooed.

"Y-yeah for possibly two years....with Neji."

Tenten's mother pulled away, tears in her eyes. "Oh, my little girl." She squeezed her tight against her bosom.

Tenten sighed. She knew her mother would be thrilled if the wedding had been real. She was clearly thrilled enough that there was a fake wedding. "Shall I have Ino send you doubles of the pictures?"

"Yes! Send me multiples. Oh, I wonder how my grandchildren are going to look!" She sighed dreamily.

"M-Mom Neji and I are just friends!!"

"Of course you are dear." She smiled, cleaning up the broken plate. "Are you going to meet Neji-kun after this?"

Tenten cursed in her mind that her mother knew her standard routine so well. She and Neji obviously spent a lot more time together than the two of them were aware of. It didn't feel like they did, but her mom knew well enough exactly who she was going to see. "Yeah."

"Then I'll make him a lunch too, and you two can have a post wedding picnic!" She giggled, going about her work.

Tenten rolled her eyes. Her mother wasn't always that hyper and giddy. She only got that way about Neji. "I'm going to change then." She hurried to her room before her mother could say another word. She shut her door and quickly rummaged through her closet. She grabbed a pair of pants and a shirt and tossed them on the bed before changing out of her dress and that horrific thong.

Tenten dressed quickly before glancing at her things all packed. _Tomorrow_...she thought staring at her things. She pulled her hair down and ran a brush through it quickly. She was to drained too pull it up into her usual buns, so she left it down. A quick look in the mirror- Oh that makeup had to go.

Tenten's mother had the lunches wrapped neatly on the kitchen table when she emerged, the woman was hiding with a video camera. "Oh darn, you even washed off the makeup."

"Yeah, can't be wearing that stuff too long. I don't know why-" Tenten stopped when she noticed the camera. "I don't want to know do I??" She pointed to the camera.

"I just wanted a picture of you all girly so when your father comes home, he'll believe we had a little girl and not a boy with breasts."

Tenten stared at her mother. She was the only person in the world who would have said that. "You can show him the duplicates of Ino's pictures. She got pictures of me all dressed up, and she got a few of me with Neji." She knew that would cheer her mother up. She looked away. "She uh, got a picture...of us...kissing."

The squeal that burst from her mother forced temporarily deafness on Tenten. "She did?! With you in that pretty dress and your hair up in curls with makeup and heels?!"

"Yeah. Neji was dressed up too mom..." She knew from the angle they had been at that she wouldn't be able to tell he was blindfolded. His long bangs, which refused to stay tied back, had fallen in the way.

"What was he wearing? Why wasn't I invited to this? I'm your mother." She sniffled fakely while grabbing a towel to wipe off the counter.

"It wasn't real mom. I didn't even know about it until an hour ago." She knew Neji wasn't getting this much attention from his uncle. She was grateful. He may not have had as bad a day as her, but he was easily as mortified by the event as she was.

"But still! There needs to be planning for such things, you father missed walking you down the aisle!" Her mother wailed. Tenten knew she was only so upset about missing it, because Neji was involved.

"He'll be able to hand me off at a real wedding mom. It's not like I'm leaving on this mission to die. I'll be coming back, still very much unmarried."

"Well, things change with time. I heard what the ladies in the market are saying. When did you and Neji-kun start dating young lady?" Her mother had busied herself with washing the few dishes left in the sink. Tenten sighed and put a few clean dishes away.

"We're not dating mom. He needed training, he was unable to convince any of our friends we were a couple, so the past two weeks I've been teaching him to act better, and I made him prove he could deceive people yesterday..."

"Kakashi-san saw him buying condoms, and you admitted to Sakura and the others of losing your maidenhood in the woods last night."

"They're all pretty damn gullible. I just hope stories like that work as well on my mission." Tenten shook her head lightly. "Mom you know Neji wouldn't."

"No, not so early," Her mom sighed. "But I can dream about becoming a grandmother, can't I?"

Tenten chuckled. "Yeah mom you can dream, but um, most parents are a lot more upset about hearing a rumor like that you know."

"But it's Neji-kun." She said, as though that fact alone explained everything.

Tenten just smiled. Her mom always had a soft spot when it came to Neji. She'd always been fond of how polite he was and always made a habit of pointing out to Tenten that Neji was her best possible match. "Ah?!" She saw the time. If she didn't hurry, Neji was going to beat her there. "I gotta run mom."

"Alright dear." The slightly taller woman smiled and kissed her daughter's forehead "And I put a special surprise in your lunches!"

Tenten didn't want to know. "Thanks mom." She grabbed the lunches her mother left out and quickly headed to the door. "I'll be back later tonight, don't worry about my dinner."

"Alright dear! Have fun with Neji-kun!"

Tenten ran as quickly as she could to the field. Just like the old paths through the woods, it was overgrown, no one had been there in a good while. The grass was almost to her waist and she could just barely see her old targets scattered about along a line of trees. Neji wasn't there yet. She sighed with relief before flopping down into the soft grass. Keeping Neji waiting was not a good idea.

A few minutes later, Neji appeared from the foliage, looking around and muttering. He plucked branches out of his hair. The back paths through this section of Konoha's forests exited not far from the Hyuuga compound. He used to take the paths often when he and Tenten trained away from their rambunctious sensei and teammate. They hadn't met in this particular location for years though. The once clear and thoroughly used path was populated by shrubs that had grown out onto the path, and trees had taken the opportunity to branch out their already dense canopies. Tugging one last branch from his hair he scanned the tall grass of the field.

"Neji, over here." Tenten waved him over. She knew she could barely be seen when sitting down in the grass.

"I know." He walked swiftly through the tall grass until he reached her. Taking a seat beside her he relaxed slightly. "How did you fair at home?" Her mother was eccentric to say the least. Any encounter with her was likely to be…interesting.

"I didn't make it past her. She saw me before I got to my room. She made us lunch though." Tenten said lightly holding up the boxes.

He felt sympathetic. "How horrible was it?"

"Oh, she was just thrilled when I told her I had a fake wedding today." Tenten chuckled a bit. It really was kind of funny how thrilled her mother was at just a fake marriage to Neji.

"I can only imagine." He muttered, taking a lunch box when Tenten offered. His eye twitched as he opened it. "Tenten…"

"Hm?" She glanced at him.

"Why are there heart shaped onigiri in the lunch boxes? With 'marry my daughter' written on the chopsticks?"

Tenten bit her lip hard to keep back her fit of laughter. She had a bad feeling when her mother said there was a surprise in those boxes. She opened her own and stared at its contents before she fell back into the grass laughing.

"Your mother is insane." Neji sighed, beginning to tear. Something about Tenten's mother gave him an irresistible urge to laugh, especially when Tenten was laughing about it too.

"Y-yeah b-but-" She tried to talk between fits of laughter. Her mom really was a piece of work when it came to Neji. "Y-you've g-gotta give...give her c-credit." If nothing else, her mother had made it very clear who she thought was the only one for her little girl.

"I'm not sure I should encourage her with credit."

"Neji she…she looked at me like I was shattering her dreams for the future when I said we were just friends." Tenten sat back up, her laughter finally back under control. The grass around her had flattened out nicely.

"Your mother is eager to give you away, isn't she?"

"No. Not really, just to you."

"I hope she doesn't get together with Ino or Sakura any time soon."

"She asked for duplicates of the pictures Ino took." Tenten smirked. "I don't want her getting her hopes up."

He sighed, taking a bite of the onigiri, he nodded. "What will she do when one of us gets married?"

"She'll probably be damn near heartbroken." Tenten picked at a bit of her lunch. "I've been telling her for years we're just friends, but she has her...you know, delusions."

"Mindless fangirl obsessions involving her daughter and a man half her own age doing explicit things together?"

Tenten shook her head. "Her thoughts are actually a bit more pure I think." She smiled a bit. "She just wants to live to see a grandchild. My grandmother died before I was born, both of them did actually. She thinks it's bad luck, totally forgetting they died during the war."

"Your mother isn't even an active ninja." He sighed, eating a piece of fried egg. Her mother hadn't been active since Tenten's birth according to public record.

"I know." Tenten smiled. "She and my dad were best friends growing up, I think that's why she's so fond of you."

He finished the meal and set it to the side to lie down in the grass. "I see." This was peaceful, a nice way to spend his last day.

Tenten finished eating and leaned back on her elbows. "We're going to be fine on this mission. I admit I was still a bit worried, but I know we'll be fine now."

He nodded, "We will be fine. The mission will be a success."

"You managed to fool them all today." She wasn't going to tell him he pulled off the perfect kiss for the situation though.

"If we had failed, it would have been a bad start to our mission."

"Yeah." She said quietly lying back. "Though, I could still feel the murderous glares you were giving them."

"It's a wonder they didn't did pick up on it." He said, stretching. "The dressed they picked out did look nice though."

Tenten glanced at Neji out of the corner of her eye. "You surely don't mean what they put me in."

"It looked nice." He repeated. "When I realized what they were planning I thought they were going to pick something unbearably fluffy and lacy."

"They tried." She shuddered slightly. Yes, they most certainly did try. Ino gave up when Tenten had pulled out one of her scrolls threateningly.

"How did you stop them?" He smirked knowingly. He could imagine Tenten pulling out her scroll of weapons in the middle of a shop.

"Oh the usual." She pulled out one of her scrolls and threw it lightly into the air, catching it with ease.

He chuckled softly, barely a laugh. "I can only imagine."

"So how did your uncle take the rumor?"

Neji tensed before returning to his uncaring attitude. "He was quite upset when he found that I would be in a relationship with a girl without his knowledge or the clan's approval. However, once I explained to him it is was for a mission, he simply scolded me for allowing rumors to spread."

Tenten bit her lip. "I was worried about something like that."

"Why? It was for the mission." He shifted to throw her a curious look. Though he still resented the main branch, they had corrupted him at such an early age and some things he just did not question.

"I didn't want you to catch any hell for it." She turned slightly to her side. "Neji, we've been friends since we were twelve, I know all about clan drama."

He nodded, leaning back down. "It's fine. It was simply a misunderstanding that has been corrected."

"Some people in the village are really naive about stuff like that." She told him about Sakura and Ino insisting that the Hyuuga clan really shouldn't care too much about who he was in a relationship with. "Sometimes I think I'm the only one that...gets it." She looked up at the sky. They'd been talking longer than she expected. An hour had already passed.

He nodded. "Sometimes I think you are. Even Hinata doesn't quite understand it."

"It's not so hard to understand. I can't see why she wouldn't." She watched a particularly wispy cloud float by. "It's kind of sad really, how it all works."

"What do you mean?" He turned to her.

"I mean, the preservation of the old clans." It was really hard to look at him when she thought of how the clans worked. "Preserve the bloodline, preserve the family's skills, preserve the family's honor…forget who's hurt by it. Stuff like that doesn't matter in the grand scheme of things, not when it comes to a clan."

"It's disgusting, how everything is for the clan's good, while the majority of those who make the clan suffer for a fraction of it."

"You still want to find a way to change it don't you?" They used to talk about it, he only ever told her about wanting to change the Hyuuga clan. She had always felt pleased that he trusted her enough to tell her that.

"Yes, I do. However, that's one thing I will unlikely be able to change before my own marriage."

"You don't sound too thrilled about the prospect of being married."

"Few would in a case like mine." He said simply.

She wasn't too thrilled with the prospect of him getting married either. She wasn't jealous, not in the least, but their friendship would be questionable. People would think it scandalous for a married man to spend so much time with a woman other than his wife.

"It will be harder to spend time with you with my new duties to my clan."

"Yeah." She murmured, betraying bit more sadness in her voice than she meant to.

"Relax, that's something that we won't need to worry about for a long time. We still have the mission to complete."

She nodded. "If your clan has any say in it," and she was sure they did, "this will probably be one of your last missions an unmarried man though."

"Yes. Perhaps we should drag the mission out for two years, even if it only takes us a few months."

"I could not have possibly heard that from you. Hyuuga Neji , Mr. Everything-must-be-done-in-a-timely-fashion, wants to drag a mission out longer than need be?" She smiled. "Well that's something new. First calling training quits early in the day, now this?" She didn't mind, sure two years away from home was a long time, but she knew she was his only way out of a swift arranged marriage.

"I'm still recovering from the wedding, blame my change in character on that."

Her smile widened. Another hour passed without her really noticing, then another, and then another without her noticing. Tenten sat up and looked around. They'd been so quiet for so long that- "Neji you awake over there?" She glanced beside her.

Neji didn't react. He was lying still in the grass, his hair over his eyes.

Tenten leaned over a bit. "Neji??" He appeared to be asleep. She leaned a bit closer. Yep, he's asleep. His breathing was deep and even.

He murmured, and shifted onto his side, his hand resting lightly on her…

Tenten blinked. Neji's hand was very noticeably on her thigh. No, scratch that, nearly her inner thigh. She turned a bit red and leaned over him a bit more. She put her hand on his shoulder, in an attempt to gently wake him. She nudged him lightly. "Neji, wake up."

"Nn." He mumbled, opening his eyes. "What is it Tenten?" He didn't move his hand.

"You fell asleep. It's almost sunset, and um, your hand is...kinda..." She turned red.

"Mmm?" he looked at it. "I didn't know you got flustered so easily Tenten." He sat up, no longer touching her.

She'd have liked to have said she didn't, because normally, she didn't. Strange drunk men had grabbed her ass before and she didn't blush. There it was, that stupid old crush talking to her again. "We should get something to eat. We can always come back afterward."

"Don't you want to spend your last night in Konoha with your family?" Neji stood up, unlike himself, Tenten enjoyed her family's presence.

"You don't really want to go home though." She could read him like a book.

He shrugged. "I can amuse myself for a few hours."

"If we went back after my mom fell asleep you could stay over the night if you wanted." She got up and brushed herself off. He nodded and answered, 'alright.' So long as Tenten's mother didn't know he'd be there, it might actually be a peaceful night too.

"But first, we need food." Tenten smiled sheepishly when her stomach growled. "We were out here a lot longer than I thought."

"How long?" Neji asked glancing up at the sky trying to ascertain the time of day. He had taken a nice nap, and didn't know how long he was out for.

"Well we've been out here since about noon, it's almost sunset, so it must be about six or seven."

"Ah. Quite a long time then." He stretched, following Tenten back to town. Once they got there Tenten looked around.

"So where to?" It didn't matter where they went. Girls were going to be shooting her death glares.

"You can choose." Neji didn't care where they went... as long as it wasn't Akiko's

"I know, how about a-" she paused. She knew what he was thinking. _Anywhere but Akiko's. _

"Say it and I will make you wear dresses on the mission."

She smiled. "I was going to say how about a new place. There's a small café that opened not far from here. Sakura was telling me it was really nice."

"All right." He followed her to the café. It was not crowded yet and they were seated quickly. It was outdoors and the menu, thankfully he noted, looked to his tastes.

Tenten sat down smirking. She could hear half the girls around whispering already. "Ooh, I think some of the girls here are jealous." She knew once the rumors went around half of Konoha would be glaring daggers at her, but really... "I kinda expected the looks but, wow."

"Imagine how they would have looked at our wedding."

Tenten bit her lip to keep back a laugh when a few more heads snapped swiftly in their direction. "There are going to be multiple attempts on my life tonight you know." She muttered under her breath looking over the menu.

"I doubt you will be attacked tonight." He snorted opening the menu.

"I dunno some of these girls look entirely capable of murder." She read through the menu. Something cheap again, she didn't even bring up the check. Neji wasn't going let her pay. She ordered with a dark smirk when their waitress showed up. Neji took note of her expression but did not comment until their waitress returned with their food.

He ate his meal quietly, watching Tenten. "What are you thinking about?"

"Our waitress wants me dead." She smiled into her drink.

"Oh?" He glanced at the girl waiting a table nearby. It was young couple there. They were talking quietly and the waitress kept glancing back in their direction.

"She's one of your old fangirls." Tenten leaned lightly on the table. "The one who sat behind you in the academy, what's her name again?"

"How am I supposed to remember? She obviously wasn't worth remembering."

"I don't remember either, but I remember she shoved me off one of the bridges once." Tenten smirked. " 'Neji-kun will be mine!' Or something like that..."

"She failed then, and she's failing now."

"And she's glaring daggers at me when she knows you can't see her."

Sighing he turned and sent her any icy glare that made her tear up slightly. "There, problem solved."

"You're terrible." Tenten shook her head lightly. "Way to shatter her delusions."

"No point in breeding false hope."

That sounded like the old Neji. She smiled slightly and ate slowly. They talked, mostly about their upcoming mission, while Tenten found intense amusement in the amount of glares she continued to receive. "Hm." She looked up again. Neji was the one who had taught her to tell time by the sky. "It's almost nine. Mom should be asleep by now. She never stays up too late."

"Alright. Let's go." He stood after paying the check and walked with Tenten.

When they got to her house, Tenten stood on her toes and peeked into the window. The lights were out, all of them. "They'd be expecting me to go in the back door I bet." The front door she noted, was locked. She fumbled around in her pockets and pulled out a small key to unlock the door. As expected, the house was quiet, there was a small note for her on the wall just inside. She read it quickly. "I have a bad feeling they're going to miss me a lot."

"Why? What's it say?"

"My dad wants me to have my grandfather's old scrolls. He put them with my stuff. It's more advanced than the scrolls I use now, but he said he's sure I can manage." She looked through the note. "Mom packed a few extra things of mine, just so I don't forget home." She smiled slightly. "She wants me to make sure I look after you."

"Your parents are kind." He said, looking over the note, he felt kind of wistful, reading that. "Come on, we'll need to sleep." He headed up the stairs toward her room. He had spent the night many times in the past, usually when there was useless drama going on at the compound, or when he and his uncle got into an occasional fight.

Tenten tore off the end of the note where here parents had written 'we love you' and put it in her pocket before following Neji. He probably knew her house better in the dark than any one else she knew.

When Tenten entered the room, he had already stripped off his shirt and had gone under the covers. He laid there, waiting for Tenten to join him.

Tenten removed her shirt and tossed it lightly onto a chair in her room, she stretched slightly in her tank top and cargo pants. "I know exactly why we got picked for this mission." Besides the fact that they were the only normal pair from the old teams, she had another theory. She sat down on her bed before slipping under the covers.

"We're the only normal people out of all the teams." Neji answered before turning so they slept back to back.

"That, and I think we're the only pair that's not going to die from a massive nosebleed about sharing a bed." She laid flat on her back staring at the ceiling.

"Mm." Neji closed his eyes, ready at last to sleep. "Go to sleep, we need to start early tomorrow."

"Mhm. Good night Neji." She whispered before shutting her eyes. Neji was a deep sleeper, and she wouldn't be so restless tonight. She never was when he was over for the night.

"Good night Tenten."

* * *

14 pages in works sheesh. Hopefully I caught all the errors, my version of works doesn't have spellcheck or grammar check (though I do use document preview's) , if I missed something sorry. I only trust one person as my beta, and I haven't heard from her in a good while. So this will just have to do until I can get a better word processor that I can tolerate.

Anywho, happy holidays fanfic readers and reviewers.

Last update till mid January. The more reviews the more eager I'll be to update I'm sure. Happy New Year to you all!


	6. Chapter 6

**Disillusioned**

By: Faraway Dawn & Kigen

Disclaimer: We don't own anything. But we are putting Kishimoto's characters to great use!

AN: It's mission time, that's right it begins here! Hehe. I (faraway dawn) was high on cider while we did this. Kigen was reaping the benefits.

* * *

**Chapter 6**

Tenten opened her eyes slightly. It was still dark, the sun wasn't up yet, but her room had a deep grey-blue tint. She slept extremely well, she was still on her back as she had been when she fell asleep, and she felt pleasantly warm. She shut her eyes for a moment and breathed in slowly. Hell if she didn't know any better, she'd say she could smell that soap...

Her eyes snapped open. Her shoulder felt a bit heavier than it should have. She glanced out of the corner of her eye toward her shoulder. Neji had apparently rolled over in his sleep, his head was resting against her shoulder. He was still, his breathing blowing warm air against her neck.

Tenten bit her lip. She was ok. This was only her childhood crush sleeping beside her, no scratch that, best friend. She was fine, totally fine, even though she could feel his warm breath at her neck. Tenten was fine, just fine, until she realized if she moved, she'd wake him. He always looked peaceful in his sleep, just like child, not the young man burdened by duty that he actually was. She stayed still and smiled to herself. She could let him sleep a bit longer. It wasn't all that bad anyway.

At least, it wasn't until Neji shifted in his sleep, his cheek nuzzled against her shoulder, and his head turned so his lips were lightly pressed to her shoulder.

She held her breath. Ok, this was bad. His lips were right against her shoulder! Her inner child was reminding her that in her youth, she'd have died for this moment, the young adult in her was reminding her that this was her best friend, he was asleep, he was not doing it consciously.

_Why am I getting so flustered anyway!?_

Neji muttered in his sleep. It was not loud enough to talk, but it was enough for his lips to move, brushing and teasing Tenten's skin.

Tenten shivered slightly. Alright, if he was going to keep this up, she would not be able to let him sleep much longer. She reached over and lightly pushed his hair back from his face. "Neji?" She whispered quietly. If her mom was up and heard...oh...no she didn't want to deal with that.

Neji just sighed into the touch, burying more of his face into Tenten's shoulder.

Tenten held back a groan of frustration. She didn't mind Neji that close, but it was not helping to have two very different aspects of her life arguing with each other in her head. "Neji?" She repeated a bit louder, her hand still holding his hair back from his face. With a slightly unhappy sigh, he turned around, settling onto his back. "Neji? You awake?"

"Nn... What?" Neji blinked, still half asleep and unhappy to have been awakened.

"Sorry, didn't mean to wake you..." She glanced at the clock. "It's morning..." She flopped back down. She wasn't quite ready to get up.

He sighed, getting out of bed. "Too soon." He muttered, stretching, naked from the waist up.

Tenten watched Neji silently. "You slept well?"

He nodded, pulling his top on. "Yes, and you?"

She nodded. "I slept very well." She pulled the covers back over her and turned back into the bed. "A few more minutes wouldn't kill me though."

"Go back to sleep then. I'll wake you when it's time to go."

Tenten leaned closer to the spot where Neji had been sleeping. It was still warm. She sighed, it even smelled like soap and sandalwood still. She was not going to deny that when Neji did sleep over, she had a much easier time sleeping. She figured it was just because she was at ease with him around. "Don't let me sleep too long though..."

"I won't." He said. "Is it alright if I borrow your shower?"

Tenten blinked under the covers. "Yeah, just make sure to lock the door. Mom has a bad habit of not knocking."

He paused, then mentally shuddered. "Thank you for the warning." Usually he would have just gone home to shower, but he wouldn't have time for that today. "I'll wake you when I'm done."

Tenten sat up slowly in bed. She could hear the water running and it made her think of a time when her mother mentioned that if she had the Hyuuga eyes, she might be tempted to use them for less than appropriate things. She shook her head lightly, she was going to miss her mother and her odd comments. She got out of bed slowly and headed down the hall. Her mother was asleep on the couch. From the looks of it her father had already left, she sat down on the floor near the couch and grabbed a piece of paper.

"Nnn honey. No! Ten-chan's in the other room." Tenten glanced over her shoulder at a sleepy giggle as her mother molested the pillow she was holding in her sleep. "Mmm.. no~oh! Ah! Honey!" Her mother cried out with a sleepy moan, before dissolving into some noisy snores.

Tenten sighed and rolled her eyes. She found the pencil her father and mother had used to write her note last night and began writing her own. She had a feeling she wouldn't get a chance to say goodbye.

Only a few minutes later Neji came down the stairs, hair still damp, and changed into his clothes. He threw the woman on Tenten's couch a strange look. "What is she...?"

"Dreaming about dad." Tenten answered with a small smile. She held out the piece of paper and pointed to a notch on the wall, clearly made from throwing kunai. "Can you hold that paper to that notch for me?"

"I don't think I want to know." He muttered, looking the woman on the couch over before walking to the wall and holding the paper in place.

Tenten went through a few of her mother's kunai, since her's were packed already. She flipped one over a few times in her hand before throwing it across the room at the paper Neji held against the wall, tacking it perfectly in place.

Neji glanced at the paper held to the wall just below his fingers by the kunai, before sending Tenten a look. "Aren't you going to wake her and say goodbye?"

Tenten shook her head. Her note bore only four words.

'I love you -Tenten.'

"She'll know...besides you really don't want her to see you here like that do you?" Tenten nodded to Neji's slightly wrinkled clothes and damp hair.

As Neji opened his mouth to answer, a thin cry of 'Ten-chan! Why is Neji-kun using a condom bunny?' broke off any retort he had.

"Like I said...do you really want her awake?" Tenten smirked at Neji's slightly mortified expression.

"No." Neji shook his head, "Let's go. I still need to pick up my things before we report for our mission."

Tenten went over to the couch and pulled a blanket over her mother. "Keep dad out of trouble mom..." She said quietly as she stood and grabbed her things.

"Are you ready?" He asked, standing at the door.

With one last glance and a smile at her mother, Tenten nodded. "Yeah I'm ready."

Neji closed the door behind them and lead Tenten to the Hyuuga compound. He went inside quickly and grabbed his bag while she waited at the gates of the Hyuuga compound. When he returned he followed Tenten through Konoha. They took the old backstreets to avoid as many people as possible. Even so early in the morning, Konoha's main streets tended to get busy. The less people they saw, the less goodbyes they would have to say.

They walked along the high wooden fences for a few minutes in silence.

Tenten stopped quickly. "Uh-oh."

"Hm?" Neji stopped and looked at her, he subconsciously tightened the grip on his bag. 'Uh-oh' wasn't a sound Tenten usually made.

"GOOD MORNING YOUTHFUL FRIENDS!!!!!!!!!! You are up exceptionally early! I am glad I managed to find you before you left!" Lee slid to a halt in front of them.

Tenten twitched slightly and rubbed her forehead. It was just too early for this...

Neji sighed. "What is it Lee?" He thought he'd be able to skip this embarrassing goodbye.

"I have messages for you both! The Hokage wishes to see Tenten before your mission begins. Privately, she said. Also, you two can not leave yet, Anko will be escorting you both to the border, she has yet to return from her last mission. Though," Lee paused and looked thoughtful. "she is due back within the hour."

Neji groaned mentally. There went his plans for their departure being quick and painless. "Is there anything I am to do while Tenten is meeting with Hokage-sama?"

"She asked me to explain a few details to you." Lee nodded. He had been told it was exceptionally important that Neji receive this information, so he had hurried to find both of them. "Oh, Ino asked that I deliver these to you also." Lee held out a pack of pictures.

Neji handed them to Tenten. "Take them." He didn't trust himself not to burn them at the moment.

Tenten took them and nodded. "I'll try to make this fast." She hurried off in the direction of the Hokage's office, leaving Neji and Lee alone in the early morning mist.

"And what is it that you are to tell me?" Neji asked, looking at his former, though still very green, teammate as though he were about to attack. After all, he might. You never could be too sure when it came to Lee.

Lee however leaned casually against a fence on the side of the street. "It is about Tenten's orders."

"What about them?" Neji asked. Last he knew, her orders were pretty much the same as his.

"Acting as a civilian woman is going to make things, well, difficult. Tenten will not be permitted to carry her weapons in public, her orders have been adjusted. If she has any at all she's going to have to fudge her accuracy a bit. Do you understand what I am saying?" Lee gave Neji his most serious look.

"She's going to be very defenseless and very pissed about it." That would be the light way to put it. Neji wouldn't have been able to bear going civilian like that, it would be a wonder if Tenten didn't lose her mind.

"It means that should anything happen in public, you are her only line of defense."

Neji let the words sink in. If anything happened, he would need to defend her. She wasn't going to like that. "I see. You needn't worry. I will bring her back unharmed."

"Also, something else I personally wished to discuss." Lee looked down. The rumors that had been going around...

"What's that?" Neji asked, he set his bag down and leaned back against the opposing fence. He probably wouldn't be going anywhere for a little while at least.

"While your act may have fooled everyone else, it has not fooled me. I am very aware that nothing has happened between you and Tenten." To Lee, who had spent most of his time between training and challenging Neji, it was very clear when something significant happened with his former rival. "You must make sure you take good care of Tenten though. I do not think you are quite aware of what she is sacrificing for this mission."

"I know she is giving up quite a bit of her personal life for this mission. She's going to miss her family and friends dearly." He answered recalling her parents note to her.

"She has always sacrificed a good deal for you specifically. She is years behind her father in terms of mastery of weapons, frightening as that may be with her skills being what they are. She has dedicated so much of her time to helping you, that she has neglected a good deal of her own skills. That is why it took her longer to become a jounin." Lee sighed slightly. "That is not the point though, it is the rumor going around that will deal the most lasting damage."

"What do you mean?"

"You're of noble birth, branch family or not, your name alone solidifies a future, so you probably would not be so aware of this. Tenten is a commoner though, the mere insinuation that she has been with anyone ruins her chances of being married to a good family. She'll be lucky to get a proposal." Lee sighed. Neji just didn't understand certain things, he had enough on his plate with his clan.

"Then why was she the one who suggested we start the rumor, if she knew that was to happen?"

"You truly have no idea?" Lee stared at Neji. Surely he had noticed! Then again, perhaps he had not.

"To help make sure that we would be able to convince people on the mission. What else would there be to it?"

"Tenten has always looked forward to not only being one of the best among us, but having a family as well. Neji, you didn't know about how she used to feel about you, did you?" Lee had thought it so painfully obvious. Tenten would not have sacrificed her skills, which she prided herself on so greatly, for just anyone. She trained with Neji day in and day out, rain or shine, sick or healthy.

"What feelings? We're friends and close comrades." He eyed Lee curiously. "What else is there?"

Lee sighed. He and his sensei had been correct, Neji had been clueless the entire time. "She had a crush on you, when we were younger, she insists she is over it…"

"I know she had a crush on me when she was younger." Neji told him. "But as you both have said, she has been over it for a long time. There is nothing there now, Lee."

"Do you not see? She has given up on a dream of hers. Even though she wishes to have a family, she has no intent to marry!" Lee seemed to have tears in his eyes. "Her mother is going to be devastated."

"Lee, Tenten is a strong, kind person. There are going to be many who would want her, despite the rumor we have done things. She may not marry into a noble line, but she will find someone who will care for her." He wasn't worried. Tenten was kind, caring, clever, and by almost any standards, attractive. She would make anyone a fine wife, there was nothing for her to worry about except marrying late.

Lee stared at Neji. Someone obviously had not heard the part about Tenten having no intent to marry... "Either way, take care of her. The Hokage was certain that Tenten would not tell you about her orders, so that is all I needed to speak with you about." Lee was certain that Tenten would enjoy her mission. Neji was her best friend, at least she would be there with someone she enjoyed the company of. Lee silently hoped that it did not toy with Tenten's emotions though.

"Thank you, Lee." Neji picked up his pack again. "I was unaware of those facts. I'll be able to protect Tenten better now."

"Oh!" Lee perked up suddenly. "If you get the chance, help her with her taijutsu." Lee wouldn't say why. Neji didn't know yet, and in his very humble opinion, his rival could use the challenge. Tenten did not resort to taijutsu often, but once while Neji had been on a mission, she had, and she had thrown the young taijutsu specialist for a loop.

"I will." He let a corner of his lip quirk, his own version of a smile. "I admit, it has been a long time since I have trained taijutsu with her, and our training in the future will be challenged anyways. We certainly won't be able to get away with our...standard training." His thoughts wandered to Tenten's explosives and her more advanced weapons, both of which made her much harder to beat. Things like that wouldn't go unnoticed for long.

"I'll give you fair warning then, she's much better than she used to be." Lee flashed a grin and gave Neji his thumbs up. "She managed to cause me a bit of discomfort."

Neji quirked a brow. Tenten had challenged Lee?That was a new one. "I will take her with the utmost seriousness then."

"You were on a mission." Lee looked down the road. Tenten was on her way back. "She insisted I allow her to practice and I couldn't very well turn down her request!!" Lee rubbed his shoulder. "I was sore for a few days where she managed to strike."

"Did you take it easy on her?" Even he had to admit, if Lee wanted to, he far surpassed him in speed and agility. If Lee really wanted to win, there were few ways Neji had to avoid defeat. It was all a matter of Lee being too predictable, and Neji not giving Lee a chance to attack him.

Lee looked rather dejected. "She...beat me long before I thought to take her seriously." It had happened so fast, and it had been so many years since Tenten sparred with anyone besides Neji. "I did not make the same mistake twice though!" Lee was not going to admit that he had not had an opportunity to spar with Tenten since that event.

"I won't give her a chance." Neji answered, wondering just when she had developed her taijutsu. She did spend most of her time training with him, maybe it was while he was away on all his missions.

Tenten hurried down the road. Her orders were not pretty, she was not pleased at all that she would have to rely solely on Neji in public for her defense. She greatly doubted anyone would attack her, but one could never be too sure. "Miss me?" She called hurrying over to Lee and Neji.

"I was able to survive." Neji said dryly, Lee's words were still playing over in his head. Was she really hiding that much from him?

Tenten smiled slightly. "Lee, you didn't scare him too much did you?" She was actually a bit worried about what Lee had spilled while she was gone. She threw a light play punch at Lee's shoulder.

"Not at all! Though I believe you shall improve your taijutsu!" Lee gave her a thumbs up.

Tenten blinked in shock. Her t-taijutsu!?

"Yes. I look forward to sparring with your taijutsu in the future." Neji said smirking.

"Lee! You were sworn to secrecy!"

Lee backed up against the fences. Tenten had taken a few very threatening steps forward. "I-I apologize!!!! But you should not leave such skill underdeveloped!!!"

"Don't worry Tenten, Lee didn't tell me too much, I plan on finding out your secrets myself."

Tenten glanced at Neji. "What secrets?" She smiled. "My taijutsu's never been a secret, we all know I have the lowest scores on taijutsu between the three of us..."

"That doesn't mean your taijutsu would be bad by any means." He answered knowingly. Tenten's taijutsu may not have been up to par with him or Lee, but he doubted hers was anything to be taken too lightly.

"Oh!!" Lee perked up again. "Naruto is waiting for you both!"

"Oh gods above spare us," Neji muttered before straightening.

Tenten slapped her forehead lightly. "Let's get this over with." She started walking toward the entrance of the village. With a mental sigh, Neji followed Tenten.

Naruto was half asleep still. He couldn't believe they'd have to leave so early! There had to be rules against this kind of crap! "Neji! Tenten!" The blonde waved at them hiding his surprise for them behind his back.

"Good morning, Naruto."

Tenten spared the cheerful blonde a nod. "Morning Naruto."

"Here!" Naruto held out a pair of boxes. "For you guys. You're gonna need it!"

"Thank you Naruto." Neji said opening the box. A flash of metal greeted him. "Rings?"

Tenten stared at the ring in her box. "Naruto? How the hell did you get my ring size?"

"I don't even know my ring size." Neji muttered eyeing the metal band in mild confusion.

"Oh that? Simple! I had your dad make them Tenten!" Naruto smiled, pleased with his brilliance.

Tenten's eyes widened. "Y-you had m-my dad do this!?"

Neji frowned. "How did he know my size?"

Tenten opened her mouth to speak, but paused, and glanced at Neji. Her ring size made sense, but that was a good question. How DID her dad know his size?

"He said something about Tenten mentioning something or other about your hands and said he could make an educated guess."

Tenten turned red. Naruto had such a big mouth and apparently, so did her dad.

"...Okay." Neji blinked.

Tenten forced down her blush. Yeah, she might have mentioned that her favorite feature of Neji's, besides his eyes, were his hands, but she didn't really think her dad was listening as much as her mom was.

"So, how does Tenten's father know my ring size?" He muttered, trying it on.

Naruto shrugged. "I dunno he's a good guesser? He made mine and Sasuke's. I didn't even know rings had sizes."

Neji sighed, but let it drop. "Alright." He examined the ring on his finger. It wasn't bad, he wouldn't mind wearing it. Glancing at Tenten's hand, he frowned. "Shouldn't Tenten have two rings? One for marriage and one for engagement?"

Naruto looked at Tenten's hand for a second. "Oh right!" He fumbled around in his pocket before pulling out a second box. "Jeeze, I almost forgot all about this one." He handed it to Tenten and smiled. "Your dad was thinking a few steps ahead of me I guess, I was wondering why he gave me two for you."

Tenten smiled slightly. "Thanks Naruto." She still couldn't believe Naruto had her father make rings. She looked over the second ring. It was simple, but elegant, it wouldn't be too much of a pain to wear. She was not at all accustomed to wearing jewelry.

"Thank you, Naruto." Neji looked at the blonde. Naruto had grown up quite a good amount in the time he had been away on missions. It would possibly be years before he and Tenten would return. He wondered if Naruto would be Hokage by then.

"Oh that's right, Anko's on her way now but, I thought I should give you two a heads up, I know your mission orders say that it's A-ranked, but uh..." Naruto wasn't sure if he should tell them. Maybe Anko would? Naruto shook his head. _Nah, can't expect her to tell them everything. She wouldn't mind putting them in a bit over their heads. _

"But what?" Neji raised an eyebrow.

"It's an S-rank mission. That's why you two landed the mission no questions asked. I heard Tsunade saying something about it meaning the difference between war or peace. No pressure though!!"

Tenten sighed. "Yeah, no pressure."

_No pressure? _Neji pinched the bridge of his nose. "Why has no one told us the importance of this mission?"

"I think Anko was supposed to explain it to you on the way. I don't know all the details." Naruto fidgeted a bit.

"And?" Neji pressed, Naruto was hiding something else.

"Uh, I think it's my fault it wasn't in the main mission orders." The blonde cracked a weak smile. "I think I knocked over the papers that had all the info on it, and mixed it up with some other things, Tsunade really let me have it last night."

Groaning, Neji sighed, "I see." Naruto's little incident, complicated the mission by much more than it should've.

Tenten smiled even though she was trying not to twitch in annoyance. If she had known the mission was on the scale of averting war, she would have been more stressed the past week. "Would've been really nice to know this two weeks ago..."

Neji sighed. "It can't be helped. Thank you for informing us, Naruto." Neji shouldered his pack, taking off his ring. It wouldn't do to damage it so soon. The three stood in an eerie silence for a few minutes.

Naruto however, jumped suddenly at a loud poof behind him. He turned around and pointed at the woman behind him. "What is it with you and your damn flashy entrances?! Can't you walk down the street like a normal pers-" Anko cut him off by punching him in the head. "What was that for?!" Naruto whined hunched over as he rubbed the now tender spot on his head.

"If you don't shut it I'll do it for ya. Now get going you have a mission, and these two have somewhere to go." Anko crossed her arms and smirked in a superior manner. She outranked them all, no one could argue, and she loved it.

"Goodbye Naruto." Neji hoped they'd make it out before Gai showed up.

Naruto looked at Neji and Tenten and waved with a grin. "You guys take care!! Hehe who knows maybe when you get back," He rubbed his finger under his nose. "I'll be Hokage." He laughed cheerfully.

Anko gave Naruto a bored look. _Yeah the kid could be Hokage, if he'd do his damn work_.

"We'll see when we come back. However, unless you start doing Hokage-sama's paper work, you won't get far." Neji smirked.

Tenten was amused by the look of horror on Naruto's face before he ran off shouting his goodbyes. "Well...there's one thing they share in common, a dislike for paper work."

"Few people do enjoy it." Neji answered as he turned to Anko. "What is it you need to tell us?"

"I'm your escort to the border. You're on your own after that. There's a small village near the border where you can change your clothes, I've even arranged your transportation from there to Kumogakure." She shifted slightly and walked toward the gates. "You two are aware this is an S-Rank mission, you wanna know why?"

"Because if we fail, it could mean war." Was the short, bored reply from Neji.

"Oh good, the brat didn't hear all the details then, leaves me some juicy information to leave with you." Anko laughed as she walked outside the gates before breaking into a run. "Let's get moving."

Swearing in his head, Neji took off after her and matching her pace, fell in just behind Anko.

Tenten blinked once before tightening her grip on her bag and hurrying after Neji and Anko. Once she caught up she glanced at their escort. "So what didn't Naruto hear?"

"A while back, one of our ANBU caught wind that some of Orochimaru's experiments and records had fallen into the hands of the Raikage. Apparently, he'd been researching a way to inherit the bloodline traits of various families, not a jutsu, just genetic alteration. Some of the traits have been proven to be passed through blood alone, a full blood transfusion of the proper blood types would do the trick. His research was incomplete, but we have reason to suspect they're trying to complete it." Anko threw a glance back at Neji. "I'm sure you can imagine the Hyuuga clan is concerned."

Neji's face was solemn. Gaining blood line traits with only a transfusion? "That's impossible. It may work with some bloodlines, but others, like the Byakugan, need completely specialized chakra networks from birth in order to work."

"Correct, but you're forgetting what kind of research Orochimaru was into." Anko answered darkly. "Not only that, but imagine, if they have the DNA of a Hyuuga for example, say perhaps, yours. They'd have all they needed to breed an army." Anko increased her pace a bit. "We know they already have DNA from a few of the Uchiha. The heads of all the clans of Konoha are concerned. They may even have samples from other clans outside of Konoha. That's why you two are going in, you'll be going to find those documents, and any research they've completed, you're to destroy it, and execute the researchers."

Neji nodded. That's why it was going to take so long. _Not only do we need to destroy everything, we also have to figure out what we're destroying._

"You two were chosen for your skills, as well as your compatibility as teammates. Reconnaissance can be done much more easily with the aid of the Byakugan, and you're less likely to be caught doing such reconnaissance, seeing as your eyes will be covered. Also, Tenten has some of the highest scores in her squad for disabling traps and setting them. She's also been assigned more assassinations than either of your teams combined have. From the Hokage's calculations, it would take a few years to complete Orochimaru's research, which is why you have two years to complete this mission. Any questions so far?"

Tenten shook her head, still taking in everything Anko had said. She was concerned that her own accuracy and perception could be something bred into new shinobi, with just a small amount of her DNA.

"Is there any information on the location the experiments are being taken place, or the identities of any of the scientists?" Neji called over the light howl of the wind.

Anko thought about the report. "Yeah, there's a facility in the village, it's monitored heavily by Kumo's ANBU, our reports say that researchers and medics were seen going in and out occasionally. One of the researchers is rumored to be a missing-nin from Suna. The Kazekage wants him eliminated of course, since he attacked multiple people in the village before leaving, they have reason to believe he was gathering samples to take."

Tenten bit her lip slightly. It was a lot more complicated than she expected. More than one village was at stake, a lot of lives were, and a lot of secrets that could start a war were on the line.

The seriousness of the mission bore heavily on Neji's mind. This would be his most important mission to date, and the chances of death, as well as failure had just increased tenfold. "What are our names?" There would be no Hyuuga on this mission. It would be wise for them to obtain such information early on, so they could begin to memorize it.

"We already worked on forged documents for you both, even your mission records Neji. Once you cross the border, you are Takimura Tsubasa and Amaya, respectively." She said pointing over her shoulder, first to Neji, then to Tenten. "Make sure you don't forget it, it was a pain to get those documents in order."

_As if I would forget something that important. _Neji thought in annoyance. "We won't." It would be harder to remember he was a chunin, and that he was to be blind…He would be able to pass off knowing about people and by relying on his hearing, but pretending to not know where inanimate objects were would be the hardest.

"I'm sure you're aware that in public, you both need to rely on each other a lot. Probably more than you're comfortable with." Anko guided them northeast. It would be nearly a day's travel to the border.

Tenten nodded. "Yeah." A lot more than she was comfortable with.

"Yes." Neji agreed. He was going to hate it. Acting as though he required assistance for anything would be a crushing blow to his pride, hell, he was willing to admit it would be a blow to his ego. "Will we need to come up with a back story, or has one been made for us?"

"Just the basics have been covered. Your mission record, your birth places, and names. The rest is up to you two, just make sure your stories match up."

Neji nodded. "I suppose you have something planned?" Neji's eyes shot to Tenten who was keeping pace right beside him. She was definitely the more creative of the two.

She in turn smiled at her partner. "I'll work on it. We've still got a long way to go before the border."

He nodded. He'd leave that to Tenten. As she said, there was a long way to the border.

It was a long but uneventful day of travel, Anko was quiet most of the way. She kept an eye out for any signs of danger, though she seriously doubted there would be any. The roads were not frequented, the villages along them, were of little interest to any country. Neji and Tenten for the most part were quiet until they came upon a village.

Anko stopped outside the village. It was a village that was set up as a trading post between the nations and the villages. "This is our stop." It was nightfall, the moon was rising, and stars were dotting the sky. "There's a small inn around here, and a few shops." She handed a slip of paper with directions to Neji as well as some money. "It'll tell you where to find your ride onward, and it's his payment for taking you further. Make sure you get everything you need before you head out."

"Yes. Thank you Anko, for your assistance ." He took everything and handed the directions to Tenten. If he was going to be blind, he may as well start now.

Anko lowered her voice. "Good luck to you both." She turned and waved over her shoulder before setting off.

"What does it say." Neji asked, taking Tenten's pack.

Tenten read through the directions before wrapping her arm around Neji's. If he was going to start the act, she would have to act also. He had covered his eyes shortly before they got to the village, even though she was sure his byakugan was activated, she'd have to act as though he couldn't see. "This way, there's an inn two streets down, on the left."

"Alright." He held her in return, letting her lead him completely. It was a strange feeling, letting her be in control, letting her dictate his movements. However, it didn't bother him as much as he had thought it would.

Tenten guided him to the inn. While she was sure Neji was aware of the few steps she pointed them out. "Three steps, small ones." He was handling being left in her control better than she expected.

Neji rolled his eyes at the words. "Yes Amaya, thank you." Once they were inside, Neji wrapped an arm around her waist, it was more comfortable than having her cling to his arm like he was an old woman.

Tenten glanced at Neji when the inn owner greeted them. He seemed nice enough, he even said he was pleased to see their journey had been safe, but a few of the other men at the inn were giving her looks, looks that she'd have even slapped Neji for.

Neji answered the man's questions shortly, not noticing what the men were doing to Tenten, but he did feel the tension in the air. "It's been a long night dear, do you feel ready to retire for the night?" He asked quietly, taking slightly greater notice of her tension.

Tenten nodded. "Yes." She bit her lip when a few of the men whispered to each other. Getting out of this town would be a blessing. She was sure any village, no matter how dangerous the mission in it would be, was preferable to the looks she was getting here.

"Are you alright? You seem nervous?" He murmured, leaning close as he kissed her cheek. He could play the loving husband even better now that it was a mission and he had a persona to create.

Tenten smiled slightly, Neji was doing much better outside of Konoha than he had inside. She kept her voice low and soft, as feminine as she could. "It's just the way I was being looked at...I suppose it made me a bit nervous." She lifted her head slightly when the innkeeper stopped at a room.

"You should be particularly careful here," The innkeeper said quietly looking at her. "especially if you go out alone. There are many men in this town weary from travel, who rarely see a woman in their days abroad." He noted that the young woman, named Amaya, tensed slightly.

Neji gently tightened his hold on Tenten at that, waiting until they were inside and the door was locked before pulling off his blindfold with a disgusted snort. "This place is trash." He spat, referring to the town and it's people rather than the actual room.

"It's a trading town on the border, I expected it to be bad." She shuddered slightly. "Those men gave me the creeps..."

"Then don't leave my side." Of course a blind man probably wouldn't stop them, but Neji was still allowed to act as an ex-chunin, which would be more than enough to deal with most of the thugs.

Tenten sat down slowly and nodded. She had no intention of leaving the room unless Neji was with her, not with the adjustments to her orders. She looked at him. "I'm a bit scared."

"Don't be." Neji sat on the single bed and eyed the simple room. It looked nice, considering what kind of town it was in. It had simple wooden walls and floors, and he noted, it was very similar to Hanabi-sama's room in its simplicity. "This is a mission, fear only gets in the way, besides I won't let anything happen to you."

"Don't tell me you're not worried." She stared intently at him. "This is bigger than either of us imagined, we could die, we're more than likely going to fail..." She didn't worry for herself, so much as she worried for what would happen if they did fail in their mission. She worried about her friends back home, her family, her village, her country, and her best friend sitting across from her at that very moment.

"Of course I'm worried about the mission." Neji said. "But all fear is going to do is make us more likely to fail. The stakes are high, yes, but that's why we can not and will not fail."

Tenten could only nod again in response. Neji's confidence could more than make up for her fears and uncertainty. She felt better within minutes, like he said, they could not, and would not fail. A mere few moments before, had he really said he wouldn't let anything happen to her? That alone brought a bit more peace to her mind.

"Go to sleep Tenten. I'll take the first watch."

Tenten rolled her eyes and got to her feet. She went over to the bed and sat beside him. "The door is locked, come on, get some rest. We've been traveling all day."

"I'm beginning to think you just like me keeping the bed warm." He said, taking off his shirt and slipping off his shoes. Wordlessly, he went under the covers.

"It's pretty damn cold here, you can hardly blame me." She said jokingly while changing out of her clothes. She was tempted to point out that the bed was a hell of a lot warmer next to him, but she opted to keep her thoughts to herself. "And I saw you yawn an hour ago."

"A yawn is merely the brain in need of oxygen." Neji retorted, lifting the covers for her.

Tenten crawled under the covers with a small chuckle. "Whatever, explain it away all you want, I can tell when you're sleepy."

"Don't say I'm sleepy. It makes me sound like a toddler." He muttered.

Tenten made sure to rest her head lightly against his shoulder. "What would you rather me say?"

"Tired. exhausted." _Something manlier_.

"Whatever." She barely managed to mumble. He could be as exhausted as he wanted, she was very sleepy. Her legs were sore from the amount of ground they had covered so quickly, her stomach even hurt a bit from the fast meals they ate on the way.

The bed was small, and it was cramped. Wrapping an arm around Tenten's waist, Neji pulled her closer so it no longer felt like he was going to fall off the bed. Tenten smiled even though she was nearly asleep. "If you were anyone else, that would have been so awkward." She mumbled. They would have to make sure they didn't get stuck with such a tiny bed on their mission. At the moment she didn't mind though, she felt safer than she had at any point since entering the town, and at this rate, Neji's heartbeat would have her lulled to sleep in minutes.

"It's a good thing it is me then." He said, closing his eyes. Tenten was quick to fall asleep, but Neji lingered. His hand lightly caressed her back, and he opened his eyes slightly, marveling at how sweet and girly she looked sleeping. Usually on missions Tenten bore an expressionless face, she was tense like a predator stalking prey, and she took care not to let her guard down. Now however, Neji noted, that sleeping in his arms she looked peaceful…and maybe even content.

* * *

AN: Ahem. Well! I'm back from vacation. So many reviews. People liked Tenten's mom haha, hug Kigen. That was all her fine work.

Thank ya much to those who reviewed. My birthday was the 26th so I updated before I left on my little trip. Reviews were a perfect birthday present. (Kigen loves them too!)

I noticed a lot of errors in my last chapter. I had a friend read through and compare the document edit/preview to my original (which she spellchecked and grammar checked about fifteen times, allowing for natural speaking rather than perfect formal English.)

We found that my original does not have the errors that appeared online, and entire words and sentences were either removed or transposed somehow. It's probably just a technical error on my end hopefully my document is preserved decently this time.


	7. Chapter 7

**Disillusioned**

By: Faraway Dawn & Kigen

Disclaimer: We don't own anything. But we are putting Kishimoto's characters to great use!

**Chapter 7**

* * *

Neji awoke to a wetness on his neck. Wrinkling his nose, he opened his eyes to see Tenten drooling a bit.

Ew.

Wiping away the spit, he shook Tenten. "Wake up, it's time to go." Tenten however, shifted closer to him. She was still entirely asleep and she mumbled slightly. It had been a cold night, much colder than either were used to, and she was trying to retain what warmth she found in sleep.

Shaking his head, Neji leaned close to speak directly into her ear. "Tenten wake up. We need to leave soon."

"Mmm?" Her eyes squeezed shut. She could feel them trying to open, but she didn't them want to. She was freezing, whatever she was hugging was very warm, and she was still so sleepy...

"Wake up." He pushed the hair from her face. "If you're cold, you can take a shower to warm up."

"You'd have to drag me in." She mumbled. Her eyes opened slightly. That was odd, she couldn't remember the pillow looking so...skin...toned. She looked up slightly. Neji was giving her an odd look. "Ah?!" She sat up quickly and rubbed her eyes. "What time is it?"

"Six. There's still time." He stood up, leaving Tenten alone in the chill of the room.

Tenten grabbed the blanket and wrapped it tightly around her. It was still warm. She'd need a shower, and then she'd have to get dressed. She eyed her things. She'd have to dress like a girl again. Tenten grumbled to herself. She'd have to get used to it fast. It wasn't like she'd be able to dress like her tomboyish self once they got to Kumogakure.

"Stop glaring at the clothes." Neji said without turning around. "You'll still have to wear them." Neji understood her hatred for them, but really, they were just clothes.

She got out of bed and stretched. "You wear them one day and then you can tell me to stop glaring at them. We'll put you in a bra and a pair of girly panties and see how much you like it…"

"If you put me in a bra and girly panties, I will have to question your sexual preference, or at least your kinks."

Tenten grabbed her bag and headed toward the bathroom. "Oh, Neji come on, you know well enough," she started to close the door and smirked at him. "I'd only do that if I needed to blackmail you."

"Which I pray you don't have a need to do at the moment."

"Nah, not really." She shut the door and ran the water. She didn't bother to lock the door. Most girls would have locked the door in her situation but, well, Neji defined 'honorable intent.'

By the time Tenten had exited the shower, Neji already had everything ready. "I'll be quick," he took his own, and came out, hair still damp and bandages over his eyes.

Tenten finished pulling her hair up. Ino had insisted she learn the value of a loose single bun in the back, and she tried it. It certainly looked, sexier than her two buns did, not that she wanted to look too sexually appealing in this town. However, she was supposed to be a young wife, and she should have no reason to doubt her husband would protect her.

"She left us a list of things we would need, and who we're supposed to speak to when we get to the village." Tenten tried to read the writing. It was messy and looked like Naruto's. "All our information has already been passed to the village under immigration, so they're expecting us. Seems they even have housing ready for us." Tenten rolled her eyes, the mission clearly had been in the works for a while.

"I find it hard to believe that Naruto actually had a hand in this." Neji pulled on his clothes. He turned his gaze to Tenten, and blinked in surprise behind the bandages. She looked remarkably feminine. It was odd, in fact it was very strange, and it almost made him do a double take.

"I know what you mean." Tenten answered. Apart from the messy writing, it was very hard to believe Naruto had such a great hand in this mission. It was such an important one, the fact that Naruto had done so much of the planning, it actually spoke volumes for what kind of a Hokage he would make one day. Tenten turned slightly to face Neji. "You alright?"

"I'm fine." He turned and finished tying the sash of his shirt, "Are you ready to go?" He shouldered both of their packs, arm around Tenten's waist once more.

"Yeah." She opened the door and put on her cheerful smile. "I'm very much looking forward to arriving at our new home." She held back a shiver. It was so much colder here than it was in Konoha.

Neji took an shirt from his bag, wrapping it around Tenten. "Wear this. It'll keep you warmer then those flimsy things."

Tenten smiled warmly. "Thank you." He was right, it was already keeping her warmer, she'd probably have to get some extra clothes when they got to the village, hers were thin, seeing as it was usually so warm in Konoha. The Hyuuga family however, always dressed in layers, even when it was sweltering out.

"We'll have to get you more clothing when we reach the village. How much money did Anko give us?" Or were they secured jobs? It would be hard to do a job that wasn't involved with the shinobi life.

They headed down the hall. Time to start acting again. Anko had left them a good amount of money, certainly enough to get them settled and lasting a few months. "Enough for a few months. We'll be able to manage after that I'm sure."

He nodded. "All right love." He smiled as they entered plain sight, holding her waist. "Are you sure you remembered everything?" He played the part of husband with ease.

"Yes, I'm sure." She leaned a bit closer to him when she spotted a few of the men from the other night. "I made sure to double check this time," She laughed softly. "I set us behind far enough the other day."

Neji nuzzled her cheek, kissing it. "Good. As much as I loved the long walk with you, the sooner we get there the better." He smiled at her direction.

Tenten blushed slightly. She wasn't sure if her lessons had really paid off that well, or if Neji really hadn't needed them in the first place. "Agreed, it's still nearly a day's travel isn't it?" She pouted slightly. "Such a long journey, we won't even be able to unpack things for a day or so, we'll be so exhausted."

He chuckled, hand rubbing her side. "I keep forgetting how low your stamina is." Tenten was a civilian after all in this. it would make sense long journeys would tire her. "If you get tired, I'll just have to carry you."

She shook her head lightly. "I keep forgetting how much stamina you have." She slid her hand to his at her side. She knew a few of the men would hear her suggestive comment, but she was a young wife, greatly looking forward to time in her new home, alone with her husband. "Perhaps when we get there I'll find some way to rid you of all that stamina." A few of the men shot jealous glares at Neji.

He chuckled again, kissing her forehead. "I doubt you will, but you're more then welcome to try." He said back, nipping her ear.

She bit her lip and smiled playfully. "Tsubasa, I think we should get our shopping done and be on our way then." Now she was sure of it, Neji really hadn't required that much training. Acting in front of your friends, was always harder than acting in front of strangers.

"More shopping." He tsked. "We've done enough shopping the past few days . What else could we need?"

She led him out of the inn ignoring the stares the men were still giving her, and the jealous glares they were giving Neji. "Just because we have a home waiting for us doesn't mean we have anything to put in it! We'll need at least some food to take also. We finished what we had before we got here." They passed as a husband and wife easily in the crowd. Every once in a while, she'd hear some man whisper about her appearance, or see the look in some of the men's eyes. It made her uncomfortable to be sure, but Neji made the situation much better. If he had not been there, she was certain she'd have found herself in quite the predicament.

"We have furniture picked. We bought you new clothes, new everything. The only thing we should need is food for the trip." Neji was trying not the snap at those looking, after all a blind man wouldn't know exactly what kind of looks they were giving Tenten. They were looks no friend, much less a boyfriend, and especially not a husband, would tolerate any man giving a woman. They did stop to get food, and even this man was giving her some questionable glances. She handed the man the money and took what they had purchased.

"This should be enough for the trip." She said quietly.

Neji was helped on to the wagon that would carry them across the country to the new home. Once settled, Tenten snug next to him, he relaxed a little. He would be able to sense anyone coming, or see them with his Byakugan.

Tenten rested her head lightly on Neji's shoulder when they started to move. It was going to be a long day, but at least, they were out of that horrible town. No more men leering at her, no more lewd comments, just a long open road ahead of them, and the kind old man who had been hired to transport them. Still, they would have to act. "I'm so glad to be out of that town, I didn't like the way the men were looking at me."

"I didn't like the feel of them." He nodded, pulling her so she was almost in his lap. "I was afraid to let you out of my sight."

Tenten turned slightly. She noted that she was practically in his lap. There was a time that would have made her blush like a little girl getting her first kiss. She lifted a hand to gently brush across his cheek. "Your sight huh?" She traced the bandages covering his eyes gently.

"You know what I mean." He brushed her cheek in return, though he shied away from her touch. He was uncomfortable with his 'blindness' both his character, and his own fake weakness.

The old man chuckled lightly. He asked them how long they had been married. It might have been a personal question, but the old man had been very kind. Before either could answer, he told them they reminded him of his grandson and his new wife.

"Well, we are a new couple. Only been married, three weeks now?" Neji answered pushing Tenten's loose hair aside again.

"Three weeks and two days tomorrow." Tenten smiled. The old man smiled, congratulated them, and told them it was obvious they were newly-weds. Tenten was relieved when the old man told them they complimented each other well. That was one total stranger completely fooled. She'd have to tell Neji later that he was so believable even she was stunned.

Neji himself was having a hard time believing it. Here he thought he was doing horribly, after all, he had barely managed to trick his friends. However, Tenten said her parents acted like constant newly weds, so he was just mimicking Tenten's father.

"If it's so obvious now, before I admitted anything to him it wouldn't have been." Tenten laughed slightly. "I had no talent for the life of a ninja, I was an artist, he used to tell me all the time my work was a waste of time. I couldn't stand him. However, he always came to my aid when I was in trouble." She smiled, it wasn't all a lie, Neji did always help her when she was in over her head.

Neji thought a few seconds, perhaps he should go for sappy. "Yes, but now I wish that I could see them again, even if only to point out the flaws. " He smirked into her neck.

"Tsubasa! You're horrible! I wasn't that bad." She bit back a smirk of her own when she felt his against her neck. She should have known he'd tease her. Fake life or not, if there was a chance for him to do it, he did.

"No, you were worse," He chuckled. "at least I can still help with your writing."

"You see?" She said to the old man. "This is what I had to put up with. My father was so surprised when I told him I was crazy about Tsubasa." She could almost imagine the look in Neji's eyes, superior, completely in control, even amused a bit at how easily they were fooling the old man.

"I think he was in more surprise that you found someone who could put up with you for so long." He chuckled softly, kissing her neck.

The old man laughed quietly and Tenten tried not to blush too much. Neji was a very affectionate actor, the perfect newly-wed husband, even the way he spoke was gentle and warm, so very different from his usual serious, cool tone of voice. Most of the ride was continued with idle chit chat, Neji and Tenten piecing together their lives and childhoods, it was the perfect chance to make up their back stories.

The further they went into the country, the worse the weather seemed to get. The winds were more piercing the further into the mountains traveled, the old man offered them both a warmer blanket to keep warm with. The old man himself, was bundled up from head to toe. Tenten leaned closer to Neji and fought her shivers. The winds were biting through their clothes, and the higher into the mountains they went, the harder it was getting to breathe, she knew she'd have to get accustomed to the altitude changes.

"Relax Amaya." He murmured, hugging her close. He had bundled her in two more of his shirts, holding her with the blanket wrapped around them both. "I had no idea you were so sensitive to cold."

"I had no idea either." She answered truthfully. "I can't believe you're not cold." She snuggled closer to him and wrapped her arms around him. She almost shuddered when the old man pointed out that, at least it wasn't raining.

"I am, but not as much as you are." He took her head and buried it in his neck so her face wasn't in the biting wind.

"Thanks..." She whispered. They still had another hour or so according to the old man.

"We're almost there." He soothed, hand rubbing her back "Just try to relax until we get there."

For the whole hour ahead of them, Neji spent most of it feeling bad for Tenten. He was also unaccustomed to the cold, but she was shaking so hard he was sure she might injure herself. The snows of Konoha's winter were nothing compared to the chilling winds that sent a bit of a shiver through him as well. He took only a minute to agree with the old man. At least it wasn't raining.

Finally, the old man stopped the wagon and announced their arrival. There were a few chuunin waiting for them, there were immigration policies to work through, red tape and all.

"Thank you for all your trouble, sir." Neji allowed Tenten to help him off the wagon, then he pulled her to his side again, for warmth and for guidance. "What seems to be the next step Amaya?"

"Immigration offices," She glanced at one of the chuunin who nodded. She glanced at her messy fake notes she had copied. "Then I believe..." She glanced at the chunin again in surprise. "...we...get to go home??" It was much easier than Konoha's immigration. You'd be interrogated for hours, detained for a few days, and then maybe, after a nice long interview with a few ANBU, allowed to move in.

"What? That's it? A few hours with immigration and straight to our house?" He murmured, surprised. "Much easier than fire country." That made things much easier.

The chuunin nodded. "Yeah, you guys are from Fire country originally aren't ya? Well, let's see now." He glanced at his notes. "Says, you're Takimura Tsubasa , former chuunin, your mission record isn't half bad." He glanced at the woman at the young man's side. "That would make you Amaya, a pleasure ma'am." He bowed slightly. "If you'll follow me, we'll get you two taken care of. We're expecting a storm in a few hours, so we'd like to get you settled in before it starts."

"Thank you sir." He kept his hold on Tenten, he felt a bit naked, his only weapons were a few kunai and exploding tags, commonly carried even by retired ninja, but Tenten was defenseless. At least nothing suspicious had happened yet. Tenten followed the chunin with Neji close, one of the other shinobi who had greeted them was instructing a few others to get their things taken to their home. She was grateful, that all of her important things, things that might have blown their cover, were in the bag Neji carried, and even so, hidden carefully among her things.

Once seated comfortably in a small room and served hot tea, Neji had explained his reasons for quitting the Konoha ninja. He had lost his sight in a mission, and was unable to fully recover. While he could still possibly find work as an instructor or something, he had decided to retire completely and start a new life with his wife in this country.

The man questioning him made a few small notes. Tsubasa did not seem to have a great attachment to his former home. His eyes glanced across the room at the young woman quietly answering a few questions about herself. She was a young artist, no real skill, never even left the academy. They seemed an ordinary couple, so many young couples were moving village to village, all in the romantic aspiration of seeing the world in time. "Your mission record is pretty impressive, the Raikage might be interested in employing you at some point, possibly. We'll have to see how things go. We're always short on instructors, they just don't last very long here. Most marry and leave the country. Can't blame them, takes some thick skin to ride this place out."

"My wife is already having a hard time with the cold." Neji nodded. "However, once I have grown better accustomed to my disability and have settled properly, I may consider teaching. I tried before I left, however it didn't last long."

"Understandable." His gaze drifted across the room again. "Your wife is going to be popular around here though. The civilian women of the village tend to be a friendly bunch. She'd do well to make some friends fast. Every village has its bad boys and well, don't take this the wrong way but, she's really something else. Has an exotic look to her, she'll catch a lot of unwanted attention from certain people."

"Yes, I've been noticing the change in peoples... intentions around her. Though I don't worry about her with common thugs, she's mean and fights dirty when put in a corner, I hope that the ninja in this village will respect her." He said.

"The shinobi aren't so much a bother. Most of our village shinobi are young and married or older and married. 'Cept a few of our chuunin, but even then most are away on missions. It's the common thugs you gotta worry about. Just because they're thugs doesn't mean they didn't graduate our academy, some even passed the chuunin exams. That's why they're such a handful." The man set down his notes. "Security in this village is decent though, we've got a small team of jounin trying to deal with the public disturbances. Surely, no one would try anything if she's with you anyway." He chuckled. "Retired or not, they'd be crazy to mess with a chuunin with your work record."

Neji let a bitter smile cross his lips. "Yes, I was quickly on my way to becoming a jounin."

"It's a shame, happens more often than not." The man glanced down at his records. The girl Amaya had been one of the few people permitted to see Tsubasa after his injury. "Does your wife happen to have any medical skills? Traditional ones perhaps? She's listed as one of only two people that were permitted to see you on your hospital records. I can't figure why a civilian would be permitted into the intensive care unit of a hospital and listed as having unrestricted access to you during your stay."

"Just basic first aid as far as I know, a few healing jutsu. She knows aromatherapy. She was allowed to be with me... I didn't question it. I assumed it was because the nurse allowed her to, seeing as we were engaged and things were shaky for a while."

"Strong woman, she must really adore you, she hasn't been able to take her eyes off you for a minute." He organized the papers. "Well, everything seems to be in order." He glanced up when another young chuunin entered the room. "And it seems your things have been delivered to your new home and are waiting there for you. You two managed a nice place, great view of the village, I'm sure your wife will enjoy that, as well as a very accessible home."

"Thank you very much sir. You have made our move quite easy and alleviated much of the stress." Gripping the table, he stood, he reached out with his chakra, as he would if he was locating his enemy in battle. He made his way over to Tenten and smiled. "They're ready for us dear."

Tenten stood and smiled more in relief than anything else. "That was fast, I wasn't expecting it would be so simple." She really hadn't been expecting it to be so simple. She wrapped her arms lightly around Neji and hugged him. "Once I get used to this place I just might like it here." She had spent most of her time memorizing his story, making sure she committed it perfectly to memory, she knew he had been listening carefully to her own answers to the few short questions she had been asked.

"Let's go to our new home. They assure us we'll love it." He pulled her a bit closer after picking up both their bags.

"As long as it's warm I'm sure we will."

"I'll keep you warm." He murmured, before realizing what he said, even without his ninja training, he turned a faint pink.

She blinked and reminded herself this was a mission, his tone of voice had been so...suggestive. She was fighting to keep the pink tint from her cheeks. "That'll make the cold trip entirely worth the while then."

Neji chuckled, letting Tenten lead him to their homes. They were cold in the wind again, then in their warm house. He thanked the chuunin that had lead them there, and let go of Tenten, eager to get warmed up himself.

Tenten turned and locked the door. Until she was sure they were alone entirely they'd have to be careful. "So how does it feel to be home?" She looked directly at him, knowing he'd understand what she was really asking. _Are we entirely alone?_

"Strange..." He chuckled, pulling her back to him. "Don't be so nervous, they aren't spying on us, none that I can feel anyways. You don't have to be shy."

"With how easy immigration was, I'm surprised." She said quietly. He was still acting though, he was the one who could tell for sure. Just because she couldn't sense anyone, didn't mean they weren't there. Until he dropped his act, she'd keep up hers. She wrapped her arms lightly around him and held him for a few moments in relief. They had done it, they had gotten in.

He nuzzled her neck again, and kissed her softly. "Get freshened up a bit, change into some warmer clothes, okay? I promise I'll keep you warm, but dinner first sounds better, doesn't it?" He'd scout the house, it was completely normal for ninja, new and retired to do so.

"Dinner sounds great." She released him slowly and took her things. She bit back her smirk as she walked down the short hallway and into a large empty room to change. They say all girls marry their father, and fake marriage or not, if Neji got anymore romantic, she'd almost feel incestuous.

* * *

AN: Oi, sorry about the delay in updating here, I had to take care of a few things before I got my editing done.

I noticed that while I work or write with Kigen, I listen to a lot of music. 'Hard like Heroic' is what I listened to while editing and I got my work done a lot faster than I imagined haha.

In a chapter or two, the rating will be upped to M. Just to be on the safe side.

Hope you enjoyed and, I'll be updating again soon!


	8. Chapter 8

**Disillusioned**

By: Faraway Dawn & Kigen

Disclaimer: We don't own anything. But we are putting Kishimoto's characters to great use!

**Important: Rating upped for obvious reasons, more mature content will continue to develop, so to be on the safe side the fic is now M rated. Happy reading!**

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Chapter 8

Neji woke to an elbow in his neck and a foot in an area where he assumed his spleen was. With the cold nights, Tenten had taken to snuggling close to him for warmth, and often slept in the strangest positions to get as warm as possible. At least that's what he wanted to assume and he gently removed Tenten and rubbed feeling back into his neck.

She however, shifted only closer. Though she had adjusted to the altitude difference fast, and her breathing was easier, the cold was not being tolerated so well. There were storms almost every night that would send rain pouring down and strong winds that would make one feel even colder if possible. When it stormed the cold seemed to seep into every nook and cranny in the house. Tenten opened her eyes a bit and repressed a strong shiver. It was even colder than when she had fallen asleep.

"Do you want to get up, or do you want to lay here a bit more?" Unlike Tenten, Neji had little problem adjusting to the temperatures and altitude. All he had to do was pull on an extra shirt, or some thicker pants and he was fine.

"I'm only staying in bed if you are." She had two shirts on and three pairs of pajama pants. She should have been sweating to death. Tenten sat up slightly and glanced at the blanket. It was a heavy one, she should have been warm enough, she thought before she glanced at Neji. "I attacked you again in your sleep huh?"

"People are going to look at my neck and wonder what we do in bed." He opened his arms, inviting her to burrow closer.

It was an invitation she was not about to refuse. She curled up against him and nodded. "Yeah...people are going to think I'm wild or something."

He snorted. "I remember, when you made me go to the store for those... things. My teachers friend was there, asked me what kinda kinks you were into." He snorted, they still spoke in code, in case they were being watched.

Tenten smirked. Ah yes, how could she forget? It had been a true day of surprises when Kakashi, very seriously asked Neji, if she did anything kinky with her weapons. "I hope you didn't tell him anything. I had a reputation as a total saint, wouldn't want to tarnish that."

He snorted. "You're a sadist, making me go to those annoying restaurants, that movie you made me watch when we first started dating." Oh god, the pinkness of Akiko's still gave him nightmares sometimes. Neji watched her pout slightly.

He was STILL on about that!? "I made it up to you, didn't I?"

"Nothing will make up for the utter horror that was the movie, and the utter pinkness that I swear I can still see."

Her eyes flickered to the small shut window. There were a few trees outside it blowing in the strong wind. She thought she saw something else out there. It was time to play dirty, just in case. "Nothing?" She whispered pulling him a bit closer. Out of the corner of her eye, she caught sight of movement again. Something was out there.

"Nothing I can think of, though you're more then welcome to try..." He chuckled, running a hand through her hair. Ninja were watching the house, he could feel them.

She traced her finger in seemingly innocent patterns across his shoulder. She knew he'd be able to understand the message her finger was busy writing. _Make this look good Neji. We'll have to give them a reason to leave. _"Maybe...this will make it up to you." She pulled him down gently into a kiss. She was more dominant than she needed to be, because Neji would simply not tolerate being submissive, the mere challenge she posed would be enough to ensure the act was flawless.

Neji smirked, returning her kiss hard. He let his hands wander over her body, and pulled away to suck at her neck. "Mmm. It was a nice start, but I think you won't fully be able to make it up to me, with so many clothes on." It pained him to be so lewd.

She let her arms fall to the side. An invitation to remove whatever he saw fit. She could hear shifting outside. Perhaps their desperate ploy would work. "By all means take them off." She trusted him. He'd not take it too far, just far enough.

"But won't I have to hear you whine about being to cold again?" He let his cold hand slide up the back of her shirt, as his other started to unbutton her top layer, kissing the collarbone that was exposed. "Though... I suppose you wouldn't be cold for long."

She shivered, not from the cold of the room, or how cold his hand was, so much as the way he was touching her. This was utterly taboo for such close friends! When she thought about it, her mother would have been thrilled though. "Don't tease me Tsubasa." She said softly. "I doubt I'll be cold for a good while if you keep doing that." She forced the word out in soft gasps. It made the situation look more intense than it truly was. If need be, she reminded herself, she could even fake an orgasm.

"But you make such cute sounds when I tease you." He said quietly, allowing his hand drift lower, rubbing the small of her back. Neji felt dirty, doing this to Tenten, but the ninja outside now was growing uneasy. Hopefully he'd leave soon.

She didn't want to, but she knew she might have to. "Tsubasa..." she said in a playful but threatening tone of voice. "If you keep teasing me, I'll play dirty."

"Oh? And what would my sweet little Amaya possibly do that would be dirty?" He took her hand, kissing her fingertips. He could pretend he was enjoying this...or maybe pretend he wasn't as Tenten's leg rubbed at his inner thigh a bit.

Tenten moved her leg a bit more. It was so bad of her to say it, but she knew it would either send the ninja outside running, or have him plastered to the window trying to watch. She was more concerned that Neji would panic with what she was about to say. "I could use my mouth instead..." She bit her tongue to keep from smirking and laughing. It wouldn't have been so utterly insane if her partner on this mission was someone she didn't know so well. Seeing your best friend try to keep up with a very suggestive act however, was hilarious. Serious business, of course! But still funny....

Neji's cheeks flushed and his mouth opened in shock, before he breathed in relief, "He's gone." Thank gods, thank Buddha, thank FATE the ninja was gone.

Tenten bit back a fit of giggles. The look on Neji's face was priceless. "Tch good." She mumbled between soft laughter. "You alright?" She looked at him. He was still a bit red. "Sorry bout that, I knew that would get him to leave though." She explained quietly. It always got rid of unwanted visitors.

"Yes." Neji cleared his throat, pulling the covers back over Tenten. "Go back to sleep, I'll make breakfast."

She caught his hand lightly before he got too far. "I knew immigration was too simple." She said smirking slightly. If they were going to be watched, they'd just have to give their unwanted guests more than they could handle until they did leave them be.

"I know. relax, and I'll get you when breakfast is ready." He needed to get to the bathroom. Immediately.

Tenten watched him leave the room and tilted her head slightly. The kitchen was further down the hall than that…

Neji shut the door to the bathroom, gazing down at his pants like he was being betrayed. Just from that little touch and fondle, the innocent brushing of thighs, he was half hard. Opening his pants, the cold air did nothing to alleviate his manhood's urge to happily show itself in full glory. He tried to make it go away, think of the time he had walked in on Shino tonguing Kiba while Hinata was rubbing against his back... and if anything he got harder! _What the hell! _He tried slowing his breathing, thinking of dead kittens and past missions, but it appeared his hard-on was just as stubborn as he was. With a groan, he turned the shower on hot.

This was ridiculous, he had never had to take a cold shower before, and he wasn't going to start now. Stripping he stood under the warm spray, hand awkwardly resting on his erection. He was not masturbating to Tenten. He was just reliving a bit of tension that had built up, Yes, this was just stress relief.

Closing his eyes, absolutely mortified and praying that Tenten stayed in bed and didn't come near anytime soon, he slowly stroked himself, making sure to keep his moans down to little stutters of breath. This wasn't romantic, it damn well wasn't endearing. This was mechanical tug and go until he threw his head back with a light gasp and came on the tile wall. Slumping a bit against the wall, he caught his breath and groaned. He couldn't really make out the girl in his mind as he touched himself, couldn't make her out clearly at all. Damn, the situation was awkward. Making sure to clean all traces of his misdeeds, he exited the shower, cheeks still pink, and pulled on a robe to keep out the cold.

Tenten crawled out of bed slowly, she kept the blanket tight around her. She headed into the small hall and could feel the steam from the bathroom. Hot shower, of course, usual morning routine. It was dark still and she could still barely see. The storm outside only made it darker, eventually her eyes adjusted and she could see the door. "You ok?" She tilted her head. He had certainly made a mad dash for the bathroom...

"I'm fine." He dried his hair, wrapping the bandages around his eyes. He hated it while it was damp, but keeping his eyes closed would be annoying. His cheeks turned red at Tenten's words. "I'm fine dear. I'll be out in a minute."

It was warm by the bathroom but it was kind of awkward just standing there. "I'm going to lay on the couch for a bit." She wasn't going to lie, the couch was comfortable, she fell asleep on it a few times. Well, sure she fell asleep on Neji too, but still even he fell asleep on it once or twice. Also, it was in plain sight of the kitchen, which would be very warm once Neji started cooking.

"I'll wake you when breakfast is ready." Neji wanted to roll his eyes. Despite their marriage and Tenten's role as a house wife, Neji found himself doing all the cooking, while Tenten did the cleaning. It might be considered odd, but it wasn't as hard as he thought it would be, cooking while blindfolded.

She smiled slightly. They had decided Neji would do all the cooking after their first night, when Tenten had managed to set fire to a few things. Neji was sickly amused by the fact that Tenten really couldn't cook all that well. He always knew she couldn't cook, but really...she could not cook. She was great at preparing the food to be cooked, but somehow, she always managed to get distracted by something or other while cooking, resulting in a great deal of burnt food.

"I'd ask you to help, but I'd rather you not have to buy another set of curtains for the kitchen," Ah, he could still tease Tenten mercilessly. It helped distract him for the seriousness of their mission, and of what had happened just minutes before in the bathroom.

"They were ugly anyway and you know it." She countered blushing. He just had to tease her about it. Always!

"Wouldn't know. Can't see what your horrible artistic taste picked out." He chuckled, opening the fridge and going about making omelets.

She flopped down lightly on the couch and crossed her arms. "My taste isn't horrible." She pouted and curled up into the blanket. If he was going to tease her, she was going to force him into flattery, the one thing Neji hated doing more than admitting defeat. "Your taste is more questionable than mine anyway. My taste obviously isn't too bad, I married you. But your taste? Hm...I still don't know what you were thinking picking me." She smirked into the blanket. Even if no one was watching, he was stuck playing along.

"A moment of insanity. Still haven't fully recovered from it since I'm still with you." He cracked the eggs open. "That, and you were merely the lesser of the other evils of single women. Less prone to swooning randomly."

Her eyes narrowed into the blanket. _Wise ass_. She should have known that would come back to bite her in the ass. "Insanity you wouldn't trade for the world?"

"The world doesn't interest me that much. Maybe for a wife that could cook though."

Neji was going to tease her all day. "I love you too." She mumbled sarcastically.

Neji chuckled softly. The sound of oil frying in a pan, the smell of eggs and vegetables filled the small room, and seeped out of the kitchen. After a few moments, eggs cooked quickly, he placed them on two plates. "Breakfast is ready Amaya."

Tenten got up and stretched slightly. "Smells great." She was grateful Neji was such a good cook. They'd die of starvation otherwise.

"And listen?" He paused setting her plate on the table, making sure it was on firmly. "Can you hear that?"

She looked up slightly. "Hear...what?"

Neji smirked. "The lack of the fire alarm going off."

Tenten almost slipped. She almost shoved him lightly and called him an ass. Like she normally would if he had kept up teasing her that much back home. "Y-You're horrible!" She crossed her arms and looked away. "Apart from the fact that you are an incredible cook, and even more impressive in bed, I don't quite remember why I married you!" She gave him a look, one that would have been a huge grin and cheerful laugh if they were back home, but was just a slight smile here. "It's a good thing you're so charming when you want to be."

"Not worth the effort half the time." He sat, picking up his chopsticks. "Eat before your food gets cold." He smiled his old smile, already beginning to eat.

Tenten picked up her chopsticks. She'd let him tease her she supposed. He was the only one she'd ever let get away with it. "If you ever tell anyone I burned those curtains..."

"You'll what? Get pink ones that can no longer cause me retinal pain?" He smiled, sipping his tea.

"I will do unspeakably evil things to you." She played with her chopsticks for a few seconds before eating.

"And what makes you think that I'm a saint Amaya-chan." He cooed, laughing internally. Ha, if Tenten could get him unconsciously... aroused...then he could do the same to her.

She leaned on the table slightly resting her chin in her hand. This was almost like an old game they'd play with each other. Usually done while sparring, pushing the other a bit further until someone had to give up the mind game. "Then you don't mind me making you dash to the bathroom for a cold shower instead of a hot one?" She smirked deviously. "If you push me, I could make you need a cold one."

"I've never needed a cold shower before in my life Amaya. You won't change that." He took another bite of his food while she ate between her bold statements. "Besides, a cold showers just one of many ways to take care of such a problem."

"Oh, so you'd rather have a night in bed taking care of said problem?" She sipped her tea. She could see in her reflection slightly and noted with slight horror that she was giving him an almost seductive look. Well, he was her 'husband' so she was entirely in her right...still she shouldn't have been looking at him like that.

Fortunately for her, Tenten's seductive look was wasted as Neji was blindfolded and without his Byakugan activated, he was unable to see her devious smirk and clever eyes. "A night in bed, or a warm shower. Both have the same result."

Tenten rolled her eyes. She wasn't entirely sure who was talking, her 'husband' or her best friend. She glanced out the large windows. It was pouring still and she could feel thunder lightly shake the house. They would probably spend the day on the couch again talking with carefully chosen words about home more than anything else, and enjoying certain freedom they didn't have back home. "I heard storms like these last a few days...I doubt we'll get much done." She was talking about their mission. Though only Neji would know by her choice of words. "It's not so bad though." _Cold, _she thought, _but not all that bad_.

"Weird though." Neji smiled around his chopsticks. "When we were younger, you used to run out to PLAY in the rain, and scold me when I didn't join you." How true it was, back when they were genin, Tenten had loved running around in the warm spring showers. She often tried to get him to do the same.

Her eyes shifted back to him. She didn't really think he'd remember something like that. "Our rain was nothing like this though." She remembered Konoha's light spring rains. It made the whole village smell good. She loved the smell of the damp earth and wood. In Konoha, the rain was refreshing. Here though, in the late spring, it was cold and heavy rain. She had been told by one of the civilians, that the storms were common before things began to warm up in the summer.

"At least soon, the weather should warm, and you won't have to wear half of your clothing to bed." Truth be told, Neji was a bit worried. How Tenten would adjust to the weather later on? If this was how Tenten was in the spring, he didn't want to image how she would be, come winter time.

"Well according to that young lady at the store, I won't have to wear much once the storms stop. She said there's an occasional rainstorm, but the temperature rises significantly." She had bought some clothes that would make up for the cold, and they were nice but... "I'd wear the clothes I actually bought for the cold but..." She looked like a girl, not just any girl in them either! She looked upper class in them, and that was a bit out of her taste in style. Comfortable though the clothes were, dressing above her actual station in the world always felt awkward to her.

"What's wrong with the new clothes? You said that you liked them." They had looked nice, Neji agreed, they were a bit colorful, but not too much, and suited they Tenten nicely in his opinion.

"I look...I don't know...upper class." She said uneasily. Having been a tomboy all her life definitely had taken its toll.

"And? Is there something wrong about that?" He asked, fetching another cup of tea. He knew that it would be hell on Tenten, having to be so girly. Part of him was amused though, he couldn't help but feel that she had it coming.

She rolled her eyes. Of course it wouldn't bug him all that much, he'd grown up in a noble house, even if he was branch family. She on the other hand, had a rather simple existence, with two slightly odd parents. "You can tell me yourself in another week or so." There was a festival in the early summer, according to one of the girls who worked at the small market. It apparently was the talk of the town, one of the only times you'd ever see all the families out enjoying themselves instead of working. Tenten had kept one of her dresses separate, and out of sight, even Neji hadn't seen it yet. Since she had insisted they go, to blend in more with the people, she'd be wearing that.

"Why in a week? You mean the festival? Why would that make you uncomfortable, unless you're feeling shy." Was Tenten unsure about the mission?

She leaned back slightly in her seat. "Hmm...it's a surprise."

"Oh? And what kind of surprise will that be?

"A good one." She laughed quietly. "Let's just say, you'll have to keep me close. Wouldn't want any men thinking I was available."

"Available or not, I wouldn't have to keep you close to keep them away. You do fine on your own." Neji ducked the chopstick that would have met the middle of his forehead.

She gave him a hard look. Even if his Byakugan wasn't activated she knew he'd have been able to feel it. "We'll see how much you think so next week."

"You're going to spend the whole week convincing me? Sure, that's enough time." He egged her on, curiosity was getting the better of him.

"I won't need an entire week to convince you that you'll need to keep me close." She smiled confidently. "I'll have you convinced that night, before we walk out the door."

"So you'll only need six days then?" Apart of him was enjoying the teasing. He could never do this so openly before, but it fitted his mission persona.

She crossed her arms. Neji knew perfectly well if he pushed it this far back home, she wouldn't hesitate to use lethal force with him in their next sparring session. "Like I said. Give me ten minutes before we leave that night. I'll convince you in those ten minutes. I don't need any other time." Oooh she'd be sure to throw him for a real loop.

"I don't know what you can do to me in ten minutes, but you're more then welcome to try." He laughed, "Though, you should worry the same. Being married never stopped fangirls before."

"Oho, someone thinks pretty highly of himself." She teased back. "Your ego is the only reason you weren't married you know." She smirked. Oh yes, his ego, the fact that he was totally frigid, and his total dislike for most of the girls in Konoha was exactly why he was single.

"You're the one who whined about the fangirls, I just sent them away. None of them had a chance to be turned off by my personality."

"Ha, they wouldn't have stood a chance against me anyway." Truthfully, none of them did. She got up and turned him to face the window in his seat. She knelt on the floor and wrapped her arms around Neji's stomach and rested her head against his lower chest. "Besides, when a girl knows what she wants, a girl gets it. Bring the fangirls on I say, you know I'll fight dirty and win."

"You will fight dirty and win. You're mean when you want to be." Those words had his mind turning to impure thoughts, as any hormonal boy would, so he would just change the subject. "Why feeling so cuddly Amaya? Do you want to lay your claim on me that badly?"

Lay her claim on him? Oh gods she'd have to give herself a light talking to later. "And if I do?" Well...that slipped right out. She scolded herself mentally. She was planning to counter that comment with a blush and say maybe, but she was cold and he was warm! Why did 'and if I do?' slip out??

"Then you're more than welcome to try." Neji smirked and pulled her into his lap. "Or you could just admit to being cold and stop trying to be seductive. It's not working very well."

"But I'm not all that cold." She shrugged. It was payback time. He spent all morning teasing her! "See?" She guided his hand under the front of her shirt. She had warmed up quite a bit since waking and eating. Now she'd simply toy with him a bit. If he insisted on teasing her all the time she'd just...play dirty.

"No. Not really." He stroked her belly, twitching his fingers. If she kept this up, she would regret it.

She glanced over his shoulder slightly. She mentally rolled her eyes. Whoever was keeping tabs on them was very persistent. Now it wasn't even payback, it was work. Tenten pouted and sighed softly. Neji won that round. She traced her finger lightly down his chest. "So like I said...what if that was my intent?"

"I'd ask if you were still sore from when I rode you only an hour before." He whispered huskily, bringing her finger to his mouth and kissing it. "I know that you like to wake up to me in the morning Amaya, but with all the times we've done it... I'm surprised you're not pregnant yet."

"You know, I'm surprised myself..." She leaned closer to him keeping a fraction of her gaze on the door. "Maybe we should try harder then...I remember you saying you wanted to be a father..."

"But so soon? If you were pregnant... I wouldn't be able to do half the things I wanted to." Remembering Kakashi, he whispered in her ear. "After all, we couldn't risk injury with wire and kunai while you're holding my child, now can we?" He nipped her ear.

Tenten blushed. Damn him and bringing up the weapons. "No but, I could...do that to you instead. No harm done if you're the one bound." She said softly in response. She felt a light shiver run up her spine when he spoke.

"No fun if you're too pregnant to do anything." He chuckled low against her skin and began to kiss her neck. "Mmm... we've already done it in the kitchen a few times.. the shower next?"

"Oh, the shower huh?" She kept her eyes fixed on the door while forcing her blush down. She leaned closer and whispered almost silently into his ear. Their uninvited visitor outside wasn't leaving.

"Mmhmm. I'll even turn it on high so that you don't have to worry about the neighbors hearing you scream." He said boldly as he picked her up. Holding her close, he walked through the house to the bathroom, one hand on the wall to guide him.

Once they were in the bathroom Tenten wiggled away and locked the door. She hurried over to the shower and turned the hot water on high. She pulled off a few layers of pajamas and tossed them to the floor. It was going to get hot and steamy...literally. She slid down to sit on the floor. "That was too close." She said quietly.

Neji sighed, sitting down with her. "They're going to think we're perverts." He muttered, taking off his top layer as well.

"Neji, this is just insane though. Every few hours there's someone snooping around, and it's been a few weeks."

"Immigration was too easy. We knew they wouldn't welcome us so easily. They just aren't being nearly as upfront about it as Konoha would have been."

"It's clever doing it this way if you think about it." Soon the bathroom would be like a sauna. "They let you in easy, let you think they're fools about it, and wait for you to drop your guard. Who knows what they do to spies they catch."

"Things we probably don't want to think about." Neji stretched, shifting his form to lay on the floor. They were going to be in the bathroom for a while, he might as well get comfortable.

"You really had to bring up the weapons didn't you?" She mumbled. That was so terrible of him. Did he have any idea how many various shades of red she had turned?

"I take it, it had the desired effect though?" Neji removed the bandages and looked at her. "After all, your face is still red."

Tenten stuck out her tongue at him. It was the first time she'd seen his eyes in weeks. "Yeah, our sensei's friend-slash-rival, asked if I did anything kinky with my weapons. You'd turn red too if someone asked you if you ever use your Byakugan to find points on the body that would make someone beg for release."

"I didn't change colors. I merely hit Naruto in the head when he had asked." Neji answered coolly.

Tenten gaped at him. "He really asked you that?"

"His exact words were 'Hey, where do I have to touch to make Sasuke stop being a frigid bitch and just relax and let me do him'?"

Tenten tried to contain her laughter. "Oh...oh gods...N-Naruto would."

Neji nodded. "It was awkward when Sasuke walked in, having heard it."

Tenten slid further onto the floor till she was almost lying down. "Oh that's too funny." She smirked. "I almost miss them all." She didn't miss everyone too much. Neji was with her after all, and he provided more than enough amusement, on the very rare occasions they got to talk with ease, like this.

"I don't." Neji pillowed his head on his hands. "I'm enjoying it here so far." It was nice, no clan, no missions, other than this one. so far. It had almost been a vacation.

"Oh, so you like having to grope each other every twenty or so minutes?" Tenten laughed a bit and watched the steam rise in thick masses to the ceiling.

"The next time they start to spy, I don't care what you do, but I'm going to take a nap." It was hard to be threatening, when one was in a sex induced coma.

"Running out of ideas?" She smirked.

"Running out of fake hard-ons."

She did laugh. She wasn't even sure if Neji had ever been aroused before. "I could probably send them running if I actually faked an orgasm." She stared up at the steam hovering above them. "I dunno though, they might try to watch."

"Maybe that's why they're watching us. Free porn."

Tenten quirked a brow in amusement. "Neji, I don't think I've seen this much of a sense of humor in you ever."

"I've been pretending to be your husband too long." His personas were starting to mix a bit, though Tenten was able to keep hers wide apart.

"You're actually a pretty charming husband when you're not being a wise ass." She smiled. "I can't even tell if you really needed any instruction from me or not."

"It's easier to trick a bunch of strangers than it is a village of people who know you."

"You did really well though." She felt entirely comfortable in the hot bathroom. It felt like a hot day in Konoha, after the weather they'd been having in this village, it was a welcome change. "We might have to make 'shower sex' a regular thing though, at least so we can relax and talk."

"I know. Did you know, the only person we didn't have convinced was Lee?" He almost smiled at the thought.

Tenten sat up slightly. "Lee?"

Neji nodded. "He knew it was an act."

"How?" She asked lying back down shifting slightly on her side and grabbing a few towels to use as pillows.

"He knew us well enough to know I wouldn't have a girlfriend so suddenly, especially you, without his noticing."

"Ah, so he probably knew we hadn't done anything either. Even though half of Konoha seemed really eager to embrace that." Tenten answered closing her eyes for a few minutes.

"Of course, a member of the branch family having sex with his childhood friend? The gossipers eat it up." Neji let out a low sigh. "Ino's probably still squealing about it."

"Well if she isn't my mom sure as hell is."

Neji looked at her seriously when she chuckled softly. "She does know we aren't actually married, right? She hasn't deluded herself otherwise has she?"

"Neji, she was so thrilled it was a fake wedding to you she started wondering what her grandchildren would look like. It would be her dream come true if I came home from this mission pregnant with your child."

"Your mother has a strange obsession of seeing you with a man."

"Nope, just you."

"Why me? You think she'd be trilled with anyone you brought home." Neji took to focusing on the steam now. He wasn't sure he wanted to know why her mother liked him so much.

"Neji, my parents let you sleep over, in my bed, with me, with the door closed. You define 'honorable intent' and parents love that in a guy."

"I still think they are delusional." He muttered.

"Yeah, but they really love you." She smiled. "My dad told me after he first met you that he knew I'd be safe on any mission I was on with you. He said you'd be the best friend I ever had, he was sure of it. Well, he was right. Mom, oh god, she always told me to try to get you to open up. She said she could tell there was a lot of pain in your past. I didn't want to pry, so I didn't, but I tried to be as supportive as I could." She glanced at him. "My parents care about you like you were their own son."

Neji pushed aside the warm feeling that built in his chest. "I feel bad for the man you eventually marry. Your parents are going to resent him for not being me."

"Yeah. I don't think I'll get married anyway though." She said quietly. If she really had to marry anyone, she wasn't going to argue with that younger side of her, that said she would want to marry Neji. If you had to choose anyone to marry, surely, you would want the person you trusted the most…right?

"Why not? I'm sure you'll have no problems finding someone."

"No sense getting married if you won't be happy, especially if you're given the choice not to marry." She knew he wouldn't have that choice. "I don't think there's anyone out there I could love enough to sacrifice everything for. Time that I could be training, missions I could be doing, things I could be learning..."

"Alone, with no one beside you." He finished her statement with his own thoughts. Her plan sounded lonely, too lonely for someone like her.

"Better than being bound to someone you can't completely love."

"Yes, you're quite lucky to have that choice." Was his bitter response.

"Not as lucky as you think. It's not like it doesn't hurt," She said quietly tracing her finger along the towel she was resting on. "planning to be alone. It's almost as lonely as facing the prospect of being bound to someone you just can't love. One way or another, it's a lonely road."

Neji nodded, unable to think of anything to say to that. Leaning against the wall, he turned off the water. "They're gone now. Come on Tenten."

She shook her head lightly. "I'm...going to stay in here a bit longer." She turned away quickly. It was going to be hell when Neji got married. Even though she had already slammed the door on her childhood fantasy of being with him, knowing that what time she could spend with him once he was married, would be so painfully limited, was a hard prospect to face. It was really hard to look at him presently. "Still a bit cold, and it's nice and warm in here."

"Alright. I'm going to wash the dishes, take a nap if they come back." Having no idea of the internal war going on with his partner, Neji left her alone in the bathroom.

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AN: Woooo sooo HAPPY VALENTINES DAY! Happy Birthday to my fiancé (…yes I really know we're going to get married even though we aren't engaged yet. )!

Reviews make me update more often. This is a fact.


	9. Chapter 9

**Disillusioned**

By: Faraway Dawn & Kigen

Disclaimer: We don't own anything. But we are putting Kishimoto's characters to great use!

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Chapter 9

Neji stood, dressed in a formal slate blue kimono. As usual, the bandages were wrapped around his eyes and he waited, leaned against the door. "What's taking you so long, Amaya?" Tenten never took this long to dress, and while she never had much practice of dressing fancy…how long could it take to put on a dress?

"Just a few more minutes!" She was finishing braiding the back of her hair. She had pulled half of it up, as Ino had showed her, and braided the rest into small braids. She smirked at her reflection in the mirror. Yeah, he had better keep an eye on her. She tightened the silk tie at her waist that held the sheer outer dress in place and put only a few small ornaments in her hair.

"How long does it take to put on a kimono? Did you get stuck?" Neji wanted to grumble. This was the one thing he thought he would have been spared but no, Tenten was taking too long to get ready. "Or did you realize you wouldn't be able to hold up your bragging?"

"It's not a kimono, it's hanfu, if you even know what that is." She shifted her collar slightly. Unlike her usual shirts, the collar of her outer dress revealed much. The outer dress, was a sheer white and had a light shimmer to it. It was embroidered with deep pink and pale pink flowers, connected by white vines and leaves. The trim and collar were a deep pink and were lined with gold. Her collarbone would be exposed, her shoulders and arms were hidden from sight just barely by the sheer garment, and her under dress was three separate layers. Undermost, was a soft white silken dress, not details just a simple dress. Another layer on top of the white dress, that spanned from her chest to waist, was pink silk, also embroidered in a similar fashion to her outer dress. It covered her chest and stomach and overlapped the lower dress. Around her waist would be a white sash, with a thinner pink silk cord tie holding it in place. "I can more than hold up my end, you should thank me for giving you time to prepare for it." She finished tying a sheer pink silk sash around the outer dress to tie it shut like a robe.

"A dress is a dress." Neji sighed, slumping more against the door. How much longer was she going to take anyway? He wondered in the slowly darkening hallway.

"I doubt you'll think so in a few minutes." She opened the door slowly. Her own mother wouldn't have recognized her. If by freak chance she did, she probably would have squealed, and demanded pictures, lots of them. The more the merrier! Anything to prove her daughter was actually a girl and not a 'boy with breasts.'

"Amaya, no matter what you wear..." Neji trailed off and blinked. There was an attractive woman standing in front of him and…was that Tenten? She wore a beautiful dress, and her hair was well done... and she wore…makeup? Deactivating the Byakugan, Neji took off the bandages and stared at her.

Tenten blushed slightly and looked down. He was staring! _Ha. Mission accomplished_. When she got her blush under control she looked up at him with a rather superior smirk. "So...still think you won't need to keep a close eye on me?" She tilted her head slightly so a few of the small braids fell across the sheer fabric covering her shoulders. He was still staring. Neji was not the type to stare.

Neji frowned. His cheeks a bit red, and embarrassed from acting like that, he wound the bandages back around his head. "Don't stray too far from me. You heard what the chuunin said about the thugs." God, he would have to beat the men off to keep them away from Tenten.

She smiled cheerfully. She'd won that little bet. They hadn't even left the house. "So I don't look horrible then?"

"I didn't recognize you." Neji admitted.

She pointed to her hair with a grin. "The hair was what was taking so long." She couldn't tell if he had activated his Byakugan yet. "So, since there will be so many people around..." He'd know what she was getting at. This was the perfect opportunity to scout the entire village, to see all the buildings, and start figuring out what was inside them without being the least bit suspicious.

Neji nodded, winding his arm around her waist. "We can listen to the gossip too, find out who might be involved in the actual experiments."

Tenten nodded and they left the small home they were residing in. It was early evening and the festival was going full swing. There were brightly colored lanterns hanging, the flowering trees, sakura and magnolia were finally in full bloom, the higher altitude and colder weather had delayed them for a few weeks. The village was bathed in the early evening sun, giving it a warm glow. There was the smell of delicious cuisine wafting from various stands, children were laughing, and they could hear the music carrying around the village. It was almost like Konoha's summer festival.

The women in the town were very chatty with Tenten. She talked quietly with them and glanced at Neji out of the corner of her eye. He looked so handsome that night, not that he didn't always, but that slate blue, she loved that color on him. "You know..." She stopped her self. She was about to tell him what was on her mind.

"Know what?" Neji's hand stroked her side listening to the talk with half an ear. The women around him were all chattering, but nothing of importance was being said yet. Most of the conversation was spent by Tenten trying to redirect conversation away from how attractive her husband was. He had his Byakugan activated, but was still surprised when a warm hand cupped his ass from behind.

Tenten looked at Neji. "I...was going to say you looked very handsome but..." He looked shocked by something or other.

"Well, well, well. What do we have here?" The hand made itself comfortable. "Why, hello gorgeous. What's a man like you doing all alone at a festival? I would think you would have no problem getting a date." The hand was attached to a lean body, an attractive face with dark red hair, and calculating brown eyes. "What's your name beautiful?"

"Takimura Tsubasa. Please remove you hand from my body." Neji said through grit teeth "And I am not here alone. I'm with my wife."

"Shinobu Noboru." The man was all but leering at Neji as he stood closer. "I can endure for hours and rise to any occasion." He brushed a lock of Neji's hair out of his face, "As for your wife... someone as pretty for you can't be batting for the other team now can he?"

Tenten blinked. She waved lightly at the man. "You realize I am right here, right?"

"Quiet hunny. The men are talking." Noboru shooed her away. "I need to wake your husband out of his delusion of heterosexuality so we can mate like bunnies."

Tenten gaped at him. _Mate like bunnies? Did he REALLY just say that? _She looked at Neji.

Neji's face was red, both from mortification and anger. This man, this utter letch of a ball of slime... "If you'll excuse us Shinobu," He jerked the hand away from his ass. "My wife and I must be going. Come on, Amaya." He was gripping Tenten tightly, as he stomped away from the laughing man.

Tenten gently tugged on Neji's hand to slow him down. "You alright?" She wouldn't laugh. No she wouldn't and she certainly wouldn't admit that she had been on the verge of punching the guy square in the face.

"I'm fine." No, Neji was not fine. He was mortified, he was pissed, not just that the man had so blatantly hit on him in public, but that he hadn't even sensed him coming. "I didn't even know he was there until he grabbed me."

"Me either." She answered. That was unsettling. If Neji hadn't known he was there, that was bad news for them. She took Neji's hand and held it lightly to her cheek. "Relax though..." Though she knew it would have them both on edge, since he had managed to sneak up on them.

"Hopefully my ass is the only interest he has in us." He mumbled, he enjoyed her touch, even if they weren't dating.

"Hopefully he learns quickly that even that is off limits." Sure, it was just an act but here, he was hers. "I'm the only one who gets to touch you like that."

"Oh? You're being quite protective of me Amaya. You'll scare that poor jounin."

She moved closer and closed the distance between them. There was barely room to breathe. "If I was alright with the idea of anyone else having you, I wouldn't have married you." She brushed her lips lightly across his. She could hear a few sighs around her. The more girly girls of this village. She called them the 'Ino and Sakura clones.'

"Now love, weren't you the one complaining about what people would say if I kissed you in front of everyone?" He pressed their foreheads together. "That they'd all be jealous of you? You're giving them a free show."

"Let them be jealous then." She said quietly, more emotion in her voice slipped out than she meant for it to. She could get away with it though. It made her act more convincing.

"Mmm..." Neji kissed her lips gently at first, his hand trailed from her neck down her back. "I thought you wanted to make friends with all the ladies here, not enemies." He murmured, before pulling her into a second kiss, deeper and more passionate than the first.

Tenten wrapped her arms around his neck. When he kissed like that, and he had once or twice in his training, she'd be left weak in the knees afterward. For the full month they had been in the village, she had spent most of it convincing herself that she just had some fragments of a silly childhood crush. A week ago however, she hadn't been so sure. _Am I? Could I really...be in love with_..._Oh no_! No she couldn't let it go there. This was Neji! Her best friend! Her teammate! Why the hell did he have to make her weak in the knees anyway!?

"Are you okay Amaya? You're breathing so fast and your knees are weak. Do you want to continue with the festival?" He asked softly, scanning about. There was no reason for Tenten to go limp like that.

"I'm fine." She hid her face against his shoulder. _Damn it all! _She was in love with him again. _It's pointless._ This was a mission, and once they returned, their lives would go back to the way they were, he would probably be married within the year, and she would be throwing herself into missions endlessly to cope.

"Come on, we have to explore the village some more." Code for, we need to find out more. Snap out of it Tenten. "Come on Amaya. You were whining all day about getting you some new decorations for your hair. We still need to look."

Tenten nodded. "Sorry...was just a bit lost in my thoughts." She knew they had work to do, this was not the time to go falling in love with an old friend.

"Let's go then." He smiled warmly, turning her back in the direction of the ninja that had groped him, then he let her lead. He wanted to learn more about the man. No one had ever walked up to him without him noticing before.

"There were some people you wanted to talk to weren't there?" She asked quietly. He'd be able to find out a lot more than she could faster. "I can look around on my own for a short while if you wanted to get to know some people better." She knew it was bothering him greatly that they had been surprised earlier. If she could get the women to stop ogling Neji, maybe she could get some decent information out of them.

"Tired of me already?" He chuckled, kissing her temple. "Go ahead. I can take care of myself for a while." Tenten would be able to hit up the women for information, while he could talk with some of the local ninja.

She smiled at him. "Tsubasa...don't cause any trouble." She slipped away slowly and headed over to some of the women. Yes, they probably wouldn't have a great deal of useful information, but they would get her mind of him for a few minutes at least.

Neji was left to his own devices for almost an hour, where he spoke with some of the local ninja. He didn't find out much more then what he knew before leaving Konoha, except that the molester was a jounin and would probably take to stalking Neji until someone else caught his eye.

Luckily things were going better with Tenten. The gossip ring was just as big as it was in Konoha. Some of the women knew about a set of buildings that were strictly guarded day in and day out by jounin, and occasionally by the village's ANBU. There were quite a few of them, it would probably take days to investigate them all. Tenten felt uneasy though, someone was watching her.

Nobaru was watching her from the shadows. The couple interested him. True, that Tsubasa was a wet dream in bandages, but he moved too well for a ninja freshly debilitated. Not only that, but the grace the girl moved at, either she had taken better to ninja school then the papers lead him to believe, or she was undercover. Tsubasa was ex-nin, the other regular ninja would take caution around him, not let out too much, the girl was better to watch. Observant gossipers had looser tongues and better eyes then some ninja. He smirked a bit. "Sweet ass for a woman though."

Tenten glanced over her shoulder. She could see Nobaru looking in her direction. Why was he watching her and the women? She waved cheerfully at him and went back to talking with the women. She asked very carefully about these buildings they had mentioned. "Wouldn't want to go near and cause trouble when I'm just looking for a good place to eat with my husband." She smiled when a few of the women laughed and pointed them out to her.

"Damn women. God, why do they have to talk so much, if she is a spy, she probably knows half the town's secrets already." Nobaru sighed in increasing frustration and gave a bored wave back. "She isn't even male, so interrogating her wouldn't be any fun...maybe I'd get to interrogate pretty boy." He grinned, images of Tsubasa in bondage, hot, flushed, and needy were running through his head like big screen movie.

Tenten mentally twitched when some of the women mentioned she should keep a better eye on her husband. From what they had said Nobaru had quite the thing for handsome young men. She glanced at Neji and sighed in frustration. Well, if truth be told, Neji was a knockout. Handsome was hardly appropriate, he was so good looking it was almost obscene! _With his clothes on too... _She shook her head lightly. Her cheeks flushed slightly. If that man ever caught sight of Neji without his shirt on bad things were sure to happen.

Nobaru sighed and turned his attention to Tsubasa. He was just standing there, looking all aloof and molestable. His mission was to watch the girl of all things! So what if his superiors thought he would get a little distracted if he were to follow the wet dream? It wasn't like he wasn't going to stalk him anyways. Watching, he saw the girl walking away from the gossipers and towards Tsubasa. Well, he would have to put a stop to that. "Oi, man slayer." Nobaru popped up beside her, grinning wide. "Whatcha up to?"

Tenten tried not to sigh in annoyance so she smiled cheerfully at him. "Missing my husband. It's been over an hour, I'm sure he's getting as hungry as I am, and some of the cuisine just smells divine."

"Not so fast sweetie." The redhead blocked her again. "How exactly did the two of you meet?" He asked giving her an almost feral smile.

"I met him shortly after my family moved to Konoha, I was enrolled at the academy with him, hated him then. I had no talent; he had too much." Tenten pointed to the sunset in the surrounding mountains. "I preferred art. That's the kind of scene I never thought I would see. A few years passed he became something great, and I sank into obscurity...he was hired to escort me to Sunagakure. He was a chuunin, he did nothing but make fun of my work the entire way. We were attacked at night, and he saved my life." Not entirely true...she blushed slightly. Last thing she remembered about Sunagakure was Lee trying to give Neji a piggyback ride.

Didn't that sound cliché? Nobaru noted that her story was…"Romantic. Sounds like this movie I watched once. Completely awful, four hours long, called 'seduction of moonlight' or something like that. Didn't know those type of meeting happened in real life."

Tenten laughed hysterically. No! He wouldn't have! Neji had NOT devised their meeting that he had explained, based on of all things, the movie he whined about endlessly!! He wouldn't have! "Oh don't get me wrong, I couldn't stand him still. He didn't like me any better, it was just a job after all." She couldn't help but smile. _That horrible movie... _"Truth be told, I didn't like him all that much while we were dating. Actually, until about a month before he was injured, I was just...attracted to him, but not entirely in love with him." She stood on her toes and looked past Nobaru. "He didn't need someone like me in his life, look at him, he's handsome, he's intelligent, he could have anyone he wanted. Why settle for some silly little artist?"

"That's what I'm wondering, especially when he could have a man like me." He grinned, this girl was acting like a blushing bride, not someone who was married a few months.

Tenten sighed at that. She knew that was coming. "...It took me a while to realize I loved him so much. Time he was away on missions after proposing...and when they brought him back injured..." She kept her eyes focused on Neji. "I don't know why he was so stunned that I still wanted to marry him." She looked at Nobaru. "Injured or not, if he asked you, would you say no?"

"For a hop in the sack, I'd be all over him like white on rice. For marriage, well, perhaps. At least that's what happened in the movie." He smirked. Watching them was going to be more fun then he had originally hoped.

She spoke more truthfully at that moment than she meant to, more than she ever had on a mission. "I'd be insane...to pass up a life with him. I'd give up every thing I loved if that's what it took." She smiled slightly. "I'd make any sacrifice to keep him with me forever." She gently pat Nobaru on the shoulder. "I'm so glad to have talked about something decent for the past few minutes. Village gossip isn't my strong point, oh! That restaurant they recommended...is it any good? Tsubasa is a picky eater."

"Pretty decent if you don't mind spicy food." He nodded standing up strait. That was smooth, transition from questioning to make her escape. "Well, now that I know how you got with gorgeous, I'll know what to do to sway him to my team. Later sweetheart." Nobaru walked away, eyes a bit narrowed, she was too good. They were hiding something.

Tenten laughed softly. _Sweetheart huh? Sway Neji to your team? Oh like hell_. She hurried back over to Neji and put her hand gently on his arm. "Did you miss me?"

"Always dear." He wrapped his arm around her waist. "Make any friends?"

"I had a lovely chat with our new friend...and the women told me about a restaurant that is apparently to die for. I think I've even found some inspiration for a painting." Her code for, she had a bit of a lead. There were some places they would have to investigate.

"Oh? What of?" He walked with her, frowning in his mind. "You haven't though of a new idea for a painting since we arrived. You said the cold killed your inspiration."

"The village during the festival I think, especially the sunset...I heard they have a small place that serves spicy food." She smiled. They'd be eating there at least once. "I admit though, that Nobaru, nice fellow though he is, puts me a bit on edge." She leaned closer and whispered into Neji's ear. "Perhaps a night in the shower would put me at ease..." Yep, they'd be having a nice conversation with the water running on hot again. She lowered her voice. "Perhaps...longer than usual."

"Mmm. Longer then usual? But we always take such long showers." He chuckled, nuzzling her. "Unless showering isn't the only thing we'll be doing?"

"Much longer love." She whispered playfully, tugging him gently closer. "There's a few things I've been wanting to try." She trailed a finger lightly down his kimono.

"Oh? What haven't we tried yet?" Neji asked. "I thought we did just about everything we could." They arrived at the restaurant and ordered, though Tenten had to read Neji the menu with his 'blindness.'

"I couldn't very well say here." Tenten answered smiling after finishing reading the menu out loud. "They'd wonder where I learned such things...and instead of attributing it to me being the adventurous type, they'd probably write me off as a whore."

"Not a whore if you were just with me. An exhibitionist maybe…"

She cracked one of her old cheerful smiles. "You're certainly not complaining though...like I said though, prepare for a long night."

"Are we going to get up in the morning, or will you lay in bed until noon to recover like last time?" He asked, chuckling.

Tenten blushed slightly. Sometimes when he said things like that, the ideas were a bit too appealing to picture. Being so worn out from a night with him that she couldn't move much the next day? _Too appealing_... "This time, you won't be leaving the bed till around that time either." She sipped her tea and bit back a laugh at the mortified expression on their waiter's face.

Neji took a drink of his own. "Is that so? So, just what are you, a harmless little artist, going to do to a strong ex-nin like myself?"

Tenten glanced quickly around the restaurant. Someone in particular was near, she could feel it. "Oh you were _so_ strong when I had you pinned against the wall in the shower...the only thing strong about you was your grip on my hair." _Three, Two, One, cue Neji's blush…_

In the shadows, Nobaru growled. _Damn hussy bitch, making the wet dream blush like that_. The way she talked however, made the wet dream seem to be an uke... He grinned, "Score one for the home team."

Tenten closed her eyes for a minute to hide the roll of them. Nobaru was around again, she could feel him. She opened her eyes and sipped her tea. "Tsubasa are you blushing? What happened to me being a harmless little artist?"

"I may no longer be able to see your art, but you do have a lovely... singing voice." He grinned.

Tenten blinked at him. Oh he didn't! He did! This was rich. She faked an embarrassed pout. "T-Tsubasa I don't know what you're going on about. S-singing?" Ah, more mental pictures. Her fake embarrassed blush turned into a natural one.

"Yes, of course the songs you sing are quite crude..." He trailed off. An old man had turned to glance in their direction, apparently interested in the young couple's conversation. They were careful to not let their conversation drift far beyond their table, but if people wanted to hear, they'd do it.

"Music to your ears though I guess." She fidgeted. "Seeing as you so often force them out of me."

"The notes you hit are quite beautiful, and they sound so much better coming from you than me."

She sipped her tea with a content superior smirk. She wondered if Nobaru was on the verge of tears or murder yet.

"Oh, but I bet the sounds that come from your mouth would be just beautiful." Nobaru said to himself, watching from his table with a light chuckle. "Much better then those that would come from the harpy." He laughed quietly, stroking his wine glass as though molesting it.

Tenten looked around more obviously. "Tsubasa, I feel like we're being watched." She already knew where Nobaru was just from his chakra, but of course, she was a civilian who failed the academy, she wouldn't be able to find him.

"Just some ninja from the village keeping their eyes on us dear. It's nothing to worry about." Neji assured her. "Just let them do their job, they shouldn't bother us since we're not doing anything."

She nodded. "You used to do this too didn't you? Keep an eye on new comers?" Their food finally arrived. She was thrilled to see that not only did it smell spicy, but it obviously looked spicy as well. Not quite Curry of Life spicy, that was more like searing off your taste buds, this would be a flavorful heat.

"Yes, never hurt them or anything, unless they were the enemy. Just kept an eye on them to make sure they weren't up to anything. If we leave them alone, they'll leave us alone." He took a bite of his food, nose wrinkling. "You got some of that horribly spicy food again, didn't you?" He could almost smell the heat.

"Mhm." She offered a bit to him. "I know you really don't like it, but you love the effect it has on me." Tenten laughed mentally. Yeah like spicy food could make her horny, hell no, if anything it made her relax. "I remember the first time we went out after I had spicy food." She smiled. There were loads of times, but she was referring specifically to the last time. "I made you dance with me, and you danced so well."

"Mmm... Your body sweating, as you looked at me, cheeks red and your breath coming in shallow pants." He grinned. "You ground into me, insisting I do the same."

"I didn't even like you all that much then..." She smiled. She liked his version of events better than how it actually happened. God, he made it sound like he enjoyed it rather than how mortified he had actually been. "...and then you put your hands on me and moved." She tried to eat as lady-like as possible, it was hard to act like a lady when the food was so delicious.

"I had to. If I put them anywhere else, I was afraid of what I would touch." He remembered accidentally grinding into a guy's ass. "And stop inhaling your food. It's not going anywhere."

She slowed down with a chuckle. If he liked spicy food like she did, he'd be inhaling it too. "I miss those times a bit."

"You want to go to a club again and make a fool of me?"

"No, though you didn't make a fool of yourself, you were a great dancer." She took a slow sip of tea. Nobaru was still watching, time to crank out the sap. "It'd be nice to go back to some of those times though wouldn't it? I saw my first meteor shower with you," Entirely true too. They had been fourteen, out late, and they had gotten in trouble for it. Well, he had, he just didn't care. They had planned on just training late in the field and were distracted by the flashes of light above them. "You told me you'd never seen one before, and neither had I..."

"You acted like an idiot," Neji recalled how she had gasped and pointed at each flash of light that streaked across the sky. "laying down and squawking over every one you saw at the top of your lungs. Then yelling at me when I wouldn't pay attention."

"You were smiling at me, yes I noticed. I know you were hoping I was too distracted by the cosmic display." Tenten remembered it was one of those very rare smiles Neji had. It wasn't bitter, it was just content and relaxed.

"I never saw you act like a three year old before, if I knew it was such a common occurrence, I wouldn't have smiled."

She rolled her eyes. "I'll tell you a secret, I don't think I ever told you this." Oh gods above, was she really about to admit this to him???

"Oh? Go on."

"That was, the first time I..." _Oh no no no no! Stop stop. Oh god I'm talking to myself_... "...wanted you to kiss me." She took a long drink of her tea. Well, Neji was no idiot, if he had been clueless that she had a crush on him at that time, he'd damn well know now. She just hoped he'd assume she was over it.

"It's a good thing you don't have a crush anymore." He took a bite of his noodles.

"Don't need to have a crush anymore. I married you silly." That could have ended badly, she mused.

"Same reason why I don't need fantasies anymore. I have the real you beside me."

She smiled. Those very words would be toying with her all night. To lighten the situation she began their old dare. She offered a small remainder of spicy noodles. "If you eat just a few, I'll make it worth your while."

"I'm not eating whatever you're holding out to me. Nothing you can do or withhold will change my mind."

"I'll let you be in control tonight?" She offered with a dark smirk.

"I'll be in control anyways." Neji countered dully.

"I won't tell Nobaru that you like being bound and rendered utterly helpless while being pleasured for hours." She muttered.

Neji choked on his drink. "That has never happened." He glared through the blindfold.

"He doesn't know that, and he might be willing to entertain the thought." Tenten answered with a light hum to her voice.

"If he's not acting, he'll be more than willing to entertain the thought." He grumbled. "I'm still not eating them."

"One noodle for my silence."

"No noodles, your silence now, and your screams later." Neji countered.

Tenten choked on the noodle she was eating. _Silence now, screams later...damn him._

"I win, Amaya."

She crossed her arms at the cool superior tone of voice he used. Yeah he won for now, but she'd make him regret it. Maybe she'd really fake an orgasm in the bathroom for the look on his face...maybe. "Cheater."

"All's far in love, war, and the shinobi life." Neji smirked. "And our marriage is all three."

"Hm well, we should pay the bill then and get home soon." She again gave their mortified waiter a cheerful smile. "Seeing as you bought my silence so easily."

"It was cheap." He gave Tenten his wallet, allowing her to pay. "If we go home, we can move on to dessert."

"We're going to mortify this village until they throw us out if we keep talking like this." She said concealing her urge to laugh and smirk.

"Or we desensitize them. Whatever comes first." Faint amusement graced his voice. He couldn't help but be amazed by how fascinated the village was with their 'conversations.' Konoha had so many of these types of conversations, he almost assumed it was a norm among the village youth.

She handed his wallet back to him. Both would have died before ever talking like that back home. They left the small restaurant and made their way back through the crowded streets of the village to their home. "To the shower then?" She said suggestively while opening the door. "I'm...going to need some help getting out of all these clothes." She shut the door slowly behind them. They were followed at a distance, even in the bathroom, they'd have to keep their voices low, and she in particular, might have to do a bit more acting to maintain their cover.

"Mmmm... I think I can do that." Neji kissed Tenten, pulling off her top layer. Letting the expensive cloth fall to the floor, he brought her into the bathroom. Closing the door and waiting a few moments, he started the shower, removed some of his clothes and sat on the floor. "What did you find out?"

Tenten sat down slowly and reached into a small cupboard in the bathroom. Seeing as most of their strategy was discussed in the bathroom, since they were being watched so often, she kept blank sheets of parchment and some other things in the bathroom. "Alright, there's a set of buildings the women mentioned that seem to fit the description we were given." She quickly sketched out the basic layout of the village. "These ones here." She pointed to a set a bit separate from the areas they were familiar with. You probably noticed them when we ate. They're a bit darker than the rest of the village. Different building material I think."

"Something more soundproof and to block off wayward chakra for the experimentation." He nodded, studying the map. "Was anyone watching you?"

"Nobaru...the women were all too willing to talk about it, I said I just didn't want to cause trouble, so I wanted to know where these 'highly guarded' buildings were so we could stay away from them."

"Nobaru, the pervert?" Neji sighed. "Okay, at least now we know where to start looking."

She gave him an odd look. "Neji? Did you really design our meeting off that god forsaken movie?" She had memorized his every word when they went through immigration. She knew she got it right, which meant he had used that movie...

"It was so cliché, I thought there had to be something in it somewhere."

"I think Nobaru's seen the movie."

"... I'd say no straight man could sit through that movie and enjoy it, but..." He grimaced.

"I think he hated it, but he did watch the whole thing, he knew it was four hours long." She started to unbraid the small braids in her hair. "He seems to want you pretty badly though."

"I think I prefer fangirls to fanboys." He muttered.

"You and me both, fangirls I can handle Neji, but fanboys? Sorry, but I think he's a bit out of my league." Tenten returned her gaze to the village layout. "How long do you think it will take to map these out?" If he could figure out what was inside certain buildings, she could break in, see how heavily trapped or secured they were, but she refused to go in blind. "If we can get a basic floor plan, I could probably get in and see how secure they really are."

"Let's not rush it. We have to stay here a while, unless we want to alert them to Konoha's plans." He studied the drawings, calling on his memory of the buildings. "It will take a few weeks none the less. These buildings might not even be the ones we're looking for."

She nodded in agreement. It would not do them well to rush things. "So, I have a nice 'singing voice' huh?" She smirked slightly.

"Fake an orgasm. Maybe that'll keep the spies entertained."

Tenten's eyes widened. "Seriously?"

"I said you're vocal, it'll concern them if they can't hear a single thing while I'm fucking you senseless." God, this mission had made him crude.

Tenten turned red and looked away. "Y-You really want me to fake one?" She looked around. A towel! She could stare at that until her blush went away.

"Not necessarily an orgasm, but something."

"It's not like I haven't had to fake one before..." She mumbled under her breath. Then again, all those times she had to fake one, she had been with some scumbag she was trying to get information out of. She had to act damn near whore-ish. "You're going to want to look away." Faking it was one thing, making a fake one believable was another.

"Why?" Neji arched a brow. "Are you going to make faces or something."

"Might happen." She shrugged. "Why are you asking?" She laid back on the floor and bent her legs at the knee before crossing one leg over the other. She could just see his forehead the way she was resting. She wasn't sure she wanted to look him in the eyes at that moment.

"Are you embarrassed Tenten?" He smirked.

"My best friend just told me to fake an orgasm, while he's sitting right across from me, no I'm not remotely embarrassed."

He rolled his eyes at her sarcastic comment. "I don't care if you fake one." He probably would himself, but somehow he knew the pervert was outside, listening in on them, and he didn't want to give that kind of inspiration for wet dreams.

"I just don't want you regretting it." She smirked confidently.

"I think I can handle it."

"You can handle me on the floor of a hot steamy bathroom, moaning your name in ecstasy, gripping the nearest object until my knuckles turn white, shaking and panting?" She sat up slightly. She wanted to see the look on his face now.

"If you moan 'Neji,' you'll blow the mission." He was smirking, though his cheeks were a bit pink.

"You know what I mean." She tilted her head. He looked like he was blushing a bit. "The smirk and blush compliment each other well. Get your mind out of the gutter." She laughed softly lying back again.

"You're the one who's going to be faking the orgasm."

"Yeah, but I've done it before. You're the one who has to deal with whatever effects it has." She rolled her eyes. As if her faking an orgasm would really have any effect on Neji.

"I will try to control myself." He laid down on the floor, uninterested.

She sat up quickly. "I swear, if you give me odd looks after this Neji, I'll pound you into the next century. There's a reason Lee lost to me you know." She laid back down and took a deep breath. His mind may not wander into the gutter, but hers would have to, to fake it decently.

"Do whatever you want. I'll try to keep from laughing." After all, how believable could a fake orgasm sound?

Tenten shut her eyes. "You do that." She said quietly before sighing quietly. She let her mind wander and willed herself to forget he was there. So what if they hadn't been acting that one night? What if he really wanted to kiss her the way he had? What if he didn't stop it at kissing? What if those hands that had been on her hips had moved front and center? The moan that slipped from her lips probably sounded damn convincing, even her increased respiration probably seemed convincing. She gripped the towel near her and allowed her back to arch slightly. The soft, shallow moans became louder, heated, and desperate. He'd probably have died on the spot if he knew she wasn't faking it.

Neji turned his head towards her, brow raised, before the blush darkened and he turned his gaze away. _Damn it, she's supposed to be faking an orgasm, not acting it out!_

She glanced around the side of her legs. Neji was a shade of red she didn't know he could turn. Good thing he couldn't read minds. She threw her head back and cried out the name 'Tsubasa' loudly. She almost pouted as she did so. That wasn't the name that had been in her mind, but she had a mission to carry out, she wouldn't blow it. Her breathing came in quiet shallow pants before she repeated the process a few times noting, that Neji grew a brighter shade of red each time. Finally, she nudged Neji's leg with her toe. "Thought you could handle it." She said quietly smirking darkly at him.

"I can handle it. It's just a bit more embarrassing than I thought it would be." Neji muttered. "Unless you want me to watch you?" He tried to tease, really he did.

"Watch if you want." She said quietly. "I've had to do that in the laps of the scum of the earth for information." She slid an arm under her head. "Harder to fake it when you know the guy watching you is probably going to rape you if you're not careful."

"If I were to rape you, I'd give you full permission to castrate me." Neji spoke with a bit of venom. He didn't like the idea of scum taking advantage of his childhood best friend.

_You can't rape the willing. _She thought, rising slightly to a sitting position. She shifted uncomfortably at the damp heat between her legs and was grateful that Neji's byakugan had not been active. He'd have noticed the telltale spike in her chakra if it had been. "The way you're talking, you sound like you'd kill a man that tried to do something like that to me, or that even looked at me with that intent." She stretched and wiped a bit of sweat from her bangs.

"Of course. You're my friend. I would kill anyone who tried to do such a thing to you." Hell, he'd kill any man who tried to do that to a woman, he'd just take a bit longer in the killing if it was for Tenten.

Tenten looked at him. She hadn't really been expecting that. Well, sort of hoping he'd at least give someone hell for it, but kill? She allowed her eyes to fall closed and a small smile curved her lips. "Thank you, Neji."

"I don't know why you're thanking me for it, but your welcome." He stretched. "So, am I done fucking you senseless?"

"I dunno." She smirked. "I could go another round but I don't know if you could handle it."

Neji rolled his eyes, stood up and started to strip off his clothes.

Tenten opened one eye and raised a brow. "What are you doing??" He was taking more clothing off...

"We just had sex in the shower. It will be odd if we don't exit the room at least damp."

Tenten looked slightly mortified. "Is he still out there?"

"I can feel his chakra." Neji smirked. "I think, he's not happy with you ."

"He'd be angrier with me if you moaned my name once or twice." She mumbled. "Course, he'd probably just mentally edit my name out and insert his name."

"That's why I didn't offer to scream. He'd probably use it for purposes I don't want my body being used for, even in fantasy."

She tried not to laugh. Oh gods, if Neji had any idea that her 'fake orgasm' had been a real one brought on by self-induced meditation and some slight fantasizing about him_... god he'd kill me._

"And don't laugh. I know you find the fanboy amusing, but he's not." He took her look the wrong way.

"Wasn't going to." Not about that anyway. "Personally he bugs me, but uh, Neji..." She glanced at the still hot water running in the shower. They both could do with a shower but... She glanced at the door. They'd have to take turns...in the same room.

"Just turn your back Tenten. I'll only take a minute."

Tenten turned away. "Yeah that's great and all but I'm going to need a shower too." She mumbled. She'd have to strip! With him there! Neji was no pervert, but those eyes could see through things!!

"I won't activate my byakugan. Your purity is safe with me Tenten."

"Ehehehe..." She laughed nervously. She hadn't even spoken loudly._ It's not like it would be the end of my world if you looked._ She turned red with her face to the wall.

After a few moments Neji stepped out, wrapping himself in a towel. "I'm done Tenten."

She turned around slowly. She was forced to bite her tongue. Now, Nobaru might have been a total pervert hitting on Neji, but her thoughts at the moment were no more pure than his, she was sure. She grabbed her own towel and motioned for Neji to turn away. "The water still hot?"

"Yes, it'll cool soon though." Neji started the process of drying his hair.

She made sure his back was to her and she quickly discarded her clothes. She got into the shower quickly and let out a nearly silent sigh of relief. A mortified expression replaced her relief a few minutes later. She still had to get out in just a towel...

"What's taking so long?" Neji still had his back turned. Tenten had turned the water off, but she wasn't moving.

She grabbed her towel quickly and wrapped it around her body. "Nothing." She squeezed the excess water out of her hair and got out of the shower. She glanced down the length of the towel and unconsciously tried to tug it a bit lower. It barely made it to mid-thigh! If she pulled it any lower she'd be showing cleavage though.

"Ready?" Neji wrapped an arm around her waist, ready to go to their bedroom.

Tenten felt herself physically tense. His arm was around her, and the only things separating her body from his were towels. She willed herself to relax. "Yeah." She sighed mentally and admitted defeat to her younger self. This wasn't some crush she'd be able to brush off.

"Let's get dressed and go to bed. It's been an exhausting day." They walked to the bedroom, where he dressed and got under the covers.

She dressed slowly and sat down above the covers, her back facing Neji. What now? Keeping emotions separate was hard on a mission like this. What if she didn't want to keep her emotions separate? What if he noticed she wasn't acting anymore? Yeah...like that would happen. He's too...frigid.

"Amaya? Is something wrong? Come under the covers." Neji looked at her, not knowing what she was thinking.

"It's nothing..." She pulled her knees up to her chest and wrapped her arms tightly around them._ I love him, damn it. Damn damn damn! It's so pointless, as soon as we get back to Konoha, he'll probably be engaged._ She tried as a last ditch effort, to convince herself it might have just been their act she had feelings for. That too failed. She remembered the boy he had been. Gods, she adored him. She thought back on the teenager he had been. He had been much more open to people, sarcastic to a fault, but they had grown much closer over the time that Sasuke went missing. She thought of the man he was now. He was smart and cautious. He remained a loyal friend, her only training partner, and her favorite person to just spend time with. Years of time with him had taken their toll. That old crush really was something more.

"Amaya?" Neji shifted and started to sit up. "Is something wrong?"

"It's nothing, I'm fine." She released the tight grip on her knees and turned slightly. She smiled to reassure him she was fine.

Neji didn't have his byakugan activated, but he could almost feel her usual warm smile. "Come lay down with me love. It's cold."

Tenten slowly slipped under the covers and moved into his arms. She smiled slightly at the fresh smell of that soap he used. She knew as soon as his arms wrapped around her, she'd be asleep in minutes. "I love you, Tsubasa."_ ...Neji... _She said quietly before shutting her eyes.

"Good night, Amaya." He placed a soft kiss to her forehead as the darkness, and her close proximity, slowly relaxed him. "Sweet dreams."

_

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You know to be honest, this was a really fun chapter for us to write. Kigen enjoys Nobaru a lot, and I enjoyed the emotional hell we're putting Tenten through! I loved writing her realization that she's no longer acting! It was a moment of writing relief. I cried when I was writing her in the bathroom last chapter actually. Planning to be alone was one of the most agonizing concepts I ever wrote (even though until the past year, I understood it and was planning it for myself).

I'll probably update again in two weeks, hopefully Kigen and I get some work done! I'm running out of pre-written chapters! Reviewers, I adore you all. You're making this my most popular story hehe and that puts me in a really good mood to write.

Till next chapter!


	10. Chapter 10

**Disillusioned**

By: Faraway Dawn & Kigen

Disclaimer: We don't own anything. But we are putting Kishimoto's characters to great use!

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Chapter 10

"Helllloooo gorgeous." An arm wrapped around Neji's waist. "Still playing house with the harpy I see." He smirked, nuzzling at Neji's neck.

"Shinobu-san, I was lying. I am not flattered by your attentions to me." It was only a short time after the festival that Neji noticed Nobaru would not be leaving him be.

"You also said you weren't interested. Does that mean you were lying about that too?"

Neji twitched. "I am not interested. Please remove yourself from my person." He gripped Tenten's hand harder than he meant to. Tenten winced slightly.

Neji's grip was a hell of a lot stronger than before. She supposed any time he clenched his fists during times of annoyance this was what it would have felt like. "He's married!" Tenten nearly yelled in frustration. "To me! That's not going to change." Nobaru, it would seem, was going to be a bigger pest than she had imagined.

"A mistake that can be fixed, I assure you." He purred, licking Neji's neck. The boy tensed under his touch. "After all, I'm sure I can make him scream much louder then you do."

Neji sputtered, jerking away from the pervert and Tenten shook slightly. She held back her annoyance and anger, but forcibly moved Nobaru further away from Neji. Her eyes took on a slightly darker appearance. "I've been incredibly patient up until this point..." She said quietly, her tone almost murderous. It had been nearly a month and a half of constant surveillance, and from a pervert of all people! "...but my patience is wearing thin. You'll keep your hands off my husband. Understand?"

"Oh? What's the little housewife going to do about it?" He goaded, shoving her back lightly. While they hadn't done anything yet, he was still convinced that they were undercover Konoha nin. If he got wife to spill in the middle of a crowded street, Nobaru smirked, he'd get dibs on interrogating Tsubasa.

"Keep your hands off my wife Shinobu." Neji growled, holding Tenten back from attacking the ninja. She was furious, and Neji could feel it. Her body was tense, like a cat preparing to strike a mortal blow to it's prey. He held her back a bit more securely, she was after all, much stronger than she appeared to be.

"I'll take the issue to the Raikage under terms of harassment." She said quietly. Harassment was a serious offense in all villages, sexual harassment was especially not tolerated, unless of course, it was in a closed and carefully supervised interrogation. Since they were merely under investigation, Nobaru was crossing the lines. "It's common knowledge that sexual harassment is a serious offense, my husband taught me well about village law and order."

"Fine, fine. No more touching." The red haired jounin smirked. The Raikage was more lenient than the Hokage. As long as he didn't make threats or touch, he would get off with a slap on the wrist. "Nothing wrong with being friendly though, neh Amaya-chan?"

Tenten narrowed her eyes. There could be something wrong with being friendly, it just depended on how loosely the term was being used. "Depends entirely on how friendly you decide to be." She said turning back to Neji. Her anger was reaching an boiling point. Weeks of being watched, no outlet for stress, having to speak entirely in code unless they were in the bathroom...it was all grating on her nerves.

"Shinobu-san. Leave us, both of us, alone. I won't tolerate your harassment of me or my wife any longer. Goodbye, Shinobu-san." Neji led Tenten away, almost dragging her to keep from attacking. "Relax…" He whispered quietly to her.

"I'm trying." She muttered under her breath. She took several deep breaths to calm herself.

"Don't let him get to you. He's only pushing us so hard because we're under his supervision." Well, only Tenten was from what he could tell, but it wasn't as though Nobaru wasn't watching him as well.

Tenten stopped walking. Why were they investigating her? She was easily a better actor than Neji. She spent her time getting to know the women of the village, she even let a few drag her around shopping. "Why still though? We're no threat to anyone, I mean, unless they saw my cooking and think I'm planning to take out a village with toxic burnt food."

"They're considering having me become an instructor. That would involve making me a cloud nin. Of course they're going to be extra cautious of us, both of us, dear."

"I know..." She sighed in defeat. "It's just so frustrating." Tenten wanted to begin their actual work on the mission, she wanted to start searching, but nothing could be done about it until they had won over some greater level of trust with the village.

"Just bear with it a bit longer. We're not going to do anything, and soon they'll loosen up once they realize that." It'd be months, maybe a year until the village stopped watching them, but at least they wouldn't be so blatant for much longer.

Tenten gave Neji a weary look. She was homesick. She missed the freedom of home, she missed being able to stay out late at night with him, she missed training, she missed her family, she missed her friends, and she missed her privacy.

"You're homesick, aren't you?" He didn't need to see it in Tenten's eyes, even though seeing it made it painfully obvious. He'd noticed over the past few weeks that she had grown more and more depressed.

"A bit." She lied. She admitted to herself, that for one of the first times in her life, she really wanted to cry. She knew he wasn't homesick though. Being away from the clan that controlled most aspects of his life was more freedom than he could have prayed for.

Neji sighed and hugged her. "I know you miss Konoha Amaya, but bare with it. Remember why we left Konoha and came here. Remember what we promised our friends. We came to start our new life." She had to think of the mission.

Tenten didn't move in his arms. Normally, she'd be content with the hug, it would have made her feel better, but she was thinking about the mission. The stakes were high, they were the only ones who had the rank and bond to pull off a mission like theirs, if they failed, the very place she missed and the people she loved in it, would be likely dragged into a war. She slowly wrapped her arms around him, his warmth and familiar scent a comfort. Neji was all she had of home. "I…I know."

"So just relax, and make the best of it." He told her while his hand lightly stroked her hair. _She must really be reaching her breaking point if she's clinging to me like this. _He could feel every ounce of stress in her body, merely by the way she held him.

"Sorry..." She managed to whisper without her voice breaking. She was on the verge of tears. None of her other missions had been this stressful. At least she had been able to return home and vent her stress through training. She couldn't just go vent here though. She shut her eyes. _Neji's relying so much on me for this mission, I need to be stronger_. "...I'll try to be stronger...don't worry. I'll be fine." She tried to sound reassuring.

"Come on love, let's go home. You need to relax." He rubbed her back as he led her back to their home.

Tenten nodded slowly and breathed deeply on the short return home. She needed stress relief, and knew perfectly well that it would likely be a few months until she got it.

"Come on Amaya." He opened the door and gently led her inside. "Take a hot bath. You'll feel better."

Tenten nodded again. Maybe he'd be nice and help her make one of her favorite 'comfort foods' later. It was about the only thing she could cook, but she would still need his help with it.

"When you're done, I'll make dinner." He held her again for a short time.

"Could you...help me make something?" Her mom usually made the soup filled dumplings when she was sick and she always felt better after having some. She wasn't sick, but she felt like hell. Neji would probably be able to make them easily. "It's nothing spicy I promise."

"Sure. Go take your bath and we'll start when you get out." He brushed a piece of hair out of her face. "You'll be fine love."

"Yeah. I won't be too long..." He was right, she'd be fine. Maybe.

"Go on. I'll wait for you." He had plans in the making to alleviate the stress both of them were coming under.

Tenten got a pair of clothes to change into and went into the bathroom. She ran a hot bath and once the water filled the tub she slid in slowly. She didn't lock the door because she knew she didn't have to, but she kept her eyes on it. Her thoughts were a jumbled haze. She missed home, missed training, missed staying out late, she really missed talking freely...and she noticed all of her thoughts tied to one very specific person. _Neji_. She was really missing training with him. She slid a bit lower under the water's surface. She was even starting to wish she hadn't woken him up the morning they left as her hand involuntarily moved to her shoulder.

Neji was in the kitchen, cooking tea and noodles. He knew that Tenten was missing them, and even if he hated them, they would make her feel better.

The smell would fill the house in minutes. Even though Neji wasn't fond of the intensely searing heat the food produced, it didn't smell all that bad. It smelled warm, it even reminded him of Konoha a little, he smirked slightly, or at least the look on Tenten's face while she ate that food. It was always amusing how she could eat food that made tears form in her eyes with a smile.

Tenten smiled slightly at the smell coming from the kitchen. He was making those noodles she loved. Neji really was sweet sometimes, she admitted. She wondered how long until Neji was able to get in closer to the village. If they instated him as a cloud nin, he'd have access to more information. He'd be able to get closer without raising as much suspicion, hell, they might even get some privacy.

"That didn't take long." Neji sat a cup of tea at the table, along with the noodles when she exited the bathroom in her heavy robe. "What did you want me to help you with?"

"It's a kind of dumpling, my mother made them when I got sick when I was little, you've had them." She smiled slightly. He burned his mouth the first time he had them. She and her mom had found it hilarious that someone who could see through things wouldn't have noticed the dumplings were full of a steaming hot liquid. "Those soup filled dumplings. I always mess up after filling the dumpling, when I go to seal it, I always rip it..." The dumplings were nearly paper thin, they required extreme care in sealing before they were steamed.

"Sure. What's the recipe?" He stood, getting out the things he knew he'd need. The dumplings were going to be the hardest part to make. He could recall how Tenten's mother had made the dumpling extremely thin, and how long it took as she sealed each one carefully. For one with such careful and accurate hands, Tenten lacked the patience to seal the dumplings without ripping them.

"I'll make the soup filling itself, that's not a big deal...I'm just too hasty when I try to seal things. You're more careful than I am." She told him all the ingredients she'd need for the paste-like stock that would cook down into a soup as it steamed. She gave him the recipe to make the dumplings also. It was a simple recipe, it just required a good amount of manual dexterity in making the dough just thin enough, but not too thin.

Neji painstakingly made the dumplings, filled them with the pasty liquid Tenten made, and closed them. He gave the fragile things to Tenten, and went about making rice as well.

Tenten carefully packed the dumplings together to be steamed. She glanced over at Neji while he made the rice, or more specifically, she glanced at his hands. She returned her attention to the dumplings to hide the faint blush that stained her cheeks when she recalled how those hands felt holding her. It was hard to fathom at times that someone with such seemingly gentle hands, could use them as lethal weapons.

The hands landed on Tenten's shoulders after Neji finished with the rice. "So we just let them steam until they're done?"

She nodded. She relaxed slightly at his touch. She was mentally debating whether Neji could give a good massage, which turned into various thoughts about his hands, which led to thoughts about things other than his hands..._Oh god I'm having all sorts of crazy fantasies about him and he's right here. What the hell is wrong with me!? _"Yeah." She said after a few minutes. "They'll only be a short while." She wanted him to just roughly turn her around and push her up against... _Gods I'm turning into my mother!!!_

"Your face is red." Neji noted as he started to prepare a less spicy meal for himself. "Are you sure you can stand such spicy food?"

"Absolutely." She said laughing off her embarrassment. Neji seemed pretty sure no one was watching them, if he felt fit to comment that her face was red. "It's good for you, you should try it sometime."

"No thanks. I'm quite content with my current taste buds." He set to work slicing vegetables for stir-fry.

"It's not as spicy as that one dish that your friend back home loved." She quickly devoured the noodles he had made for her and smiled as she recalled that horrible curry. She was no stranger to spicy food, but even she was horrified by the power of that curry. Neji had probably taken it the worst, having been so stunned that she had to give him his own water to wash it down with.

"That disgusting curry?" He frowned. "Worse than giving that guy sake. Though I swear it was mixed with some."

Tenten drank her tea with a cheerful grin. She missed Lee a bit too. Even though she and Neji had rarely spent a great deal of time with him, Lee was always fun to go out with. "He's got an iron gut I'll give him that."

"An iron gut and the endurance of my teacher." He snorted, finishing his stir-fry and taking a seat at the table.

"Do you miss the random challenges to spar?" She leaned on the table and watched him. Every day without fail, Lee would challenge Neji to spar with him. Although Lee had a speed and taijutsu advantage Neji didn't have, Neji never allowed Lee the chance to use either his speed, or his skills. She and Neji rarely fought with strictly taijutsu. That was what Lee was for.

"Yes and no. While I miss the sparing. I don't miss the constant challenges to... everything." Everything was a challenge to Lee, whether it be training, eating, or even cleaning.

"I'm sure you don't really miss the time we spent together." She referred to the training she greatly missed. "You're stuck with me now."

"Better you than him." Neji answered eating his stir fry.

She smirked. "Yeah I bet you're much happier married to me than you would be to him."

Neji stopped, mid bite. He put the fork down with a shudder. "Thank you for that horrifying image." He muttered.

"Come on, better mental picture than you and Nobaru isn't it?"

"...." Neji pushed the food away from him. "I'm finished eating."

Tenten was trying not to laugh. This was much better payback for that day he tortured her about the burnt curtains. "Ok ok! Sorry, just think of me instead and eat then."

"Even that will not purge the thoughts inside my head..."

"Think of what happened in the bathroom...that should eliminate a lot of thoughts." She took the opportunity to swipe a bit of his stir-fry.

"Which time?" Neji's face turned slightly red, remembering her fake orgasm.

Tenten's smirk grew increasingly wicked and she hid it while she sipped her tea. "The last time, when you had me writhing against the wall screaming." She was amused that she had made him blush that night in the bathroom, she was more amused now that it still had the intended effect on him.

The blush darkened a bit, before he cleared his throat and distracted himself with his food once more. "Hmm, and you didn't stop, not until your throat was raw. I suppose I did treat you a bit too roughly that night. I guess I'll have to make up for it tonight, won't I?"

She turned red in response. _Rough? Neji? Night? _

"Your face is red, isn't it Amaya?" Again he sat with his superior smirk. "Eager aren't we dear?" There was a slight change in his voice and the way he spoke. They were being watched again

"It might be red." She caught the change in his words and tone. "How could it not be? I like it when you're rough..." She eyed his hands again before sipping the last of her tea. "And you're so very evil with your hands..."

"Not as evil as your tongue." He smirked. "But then again, you can't use your tongue if I have you tied down, now can you love?"

__

Damn Neji...

"Depends entirely on where you are while I'm tied down." _HA! Take that._

Behind his bandages, Neji quirked a brow. Tenten was extremely bold, which he had always known, but rarely seen until they were forced to act. Her statements would have turned half the faces of their friends red. "I'll just have to gag you then, won't I? Or maybe you'll just be too exhausted by the time I'm done with you to use your tongue." His eyes, hidden behind the bandages, mirrored his superior smirk upon hearing her choke and cough lightly behind her hand.

"You wouldn't..." She eyed him for a minute before looking away. His act was entirely too appealing and it was ruining her panties again. She calculated he ruined an average of two pair a day. That had to be some kind of record.

"I've done it before. What makes you think I won't do it again?" He asked, as he ate.

"Tsubasa if you keep talking like that I'll demand you start putting your mouth to better use and get started." She got up to check on those dumplings to distract herself.

"I could say the same to you. Even I will admit that your tongue is more talented than my own."

Tenten shivered slightly as she checked the dumplings. Neji's tongue? Her mind was going to overload at this rate from the sheer quantity of impure thoughts bouncing around. "So you do like it then..."

"What do I like exactly? You'll need to be more specific."

Tenten bit her lip. She wasn't sure if she could really say it out loud.

"Amaya? What's wrong? Cat got your tongue?" He chuckled. "Or are we too busy entertaining dirty thoughts."

She was honest when she laughed quietly and glanced over her shoulder at him. "Both."

"Eat your dumplings and maybe I'll see if we can make those thoughts a reality."

"They aren't done yet..." She said looking back at the dumplings. _Dammit Neji don't do this to me... _"They need a little bit longer." She put the lid back over them to let them finish steaming and walked over to him. She had a feeling she'd regret what she was about to do later. She turned his seat around so he faced her, proceeded to climb into his lap, and wrapped her arms around his neck, her fingers brushed lightly against the back of his neck. "In the mean time, perhaps we should occupy your mouth with something..."

"Oh? Begging for kisses already?" He wrapped his arms around her waist, and kissed her neck softly.

She shifted closer to him and titled her head to the side, granting him better access to her neck. "I don't quite think you know what it does to me when you talk like that." She forcibly held back the moan aching to slip through her lips. Neji was cruel when he kissed. Perhaps, she admitted to herself, he was a lot better at it than he had let on in their training. "Or maybe you do know, and just enjoy the torture it puts me through."

"Mm... it is enjoyable, knowing that a few words and memories can get you so wet." Neji answered, oblivious to how on target he was.

"You have no idea how cruel you are." Tenten muttered. He had no idea how badly she wished he wasn't acting and she was grateful, that he had no idea that she was not acting.

"Mm. I have an idea." He let his hand wander her back, as he nibbled her collar bone. "But if we start, won't your soup burn?

"P-Probably, and it'll be your fault something burned for a change."

"Well, we can't have that, now can we?" He stood, setting her on her feet. "Better check on them."

"You just know I'd never let you live it down if you were the reason something burned..." She turned away from him slowly and checked on the dumplings. They were done, perfectly. She rolled her eyes. Neji must've had some odd food timer implanted in his brain at birth, because he always seemed to know when things were done. She grabbed two small towels and removed the dumplings from the steam. _And for some stupid reason I still want him to come over here, pin me to something and..._ She fanned away the steam with her hands and willed away her blush. He was driving her utterly insane.

"What's taking so long. Aren't they done yet?" He asked, wondering about her silence. "Or are you still stuck on mental images."

"They're done." She said quietly. Was she still stuck on mental images, gods how could she not be? Did Neji seriously not realize how attractive he was? Did he not realize that she trusted him like no other? Did he not realize that he, her best friend since youth, had been the one on her mind when she 'faked' a not so fake orgasm to keep their cover? _Men are so troublesome_... Shikamaru probably had a point about women too.

"Neh, you're quiet Amaya. Are you okay? Or is the blood not in your head anymore?"

She turned around to face him with a smile. "I'm fine Tsubasa." She reflected on how hard it was to say the name Tsubasa instead of Neji this time.

"If you're sure." He wasn't convinced, but wrote it off as homesickness. "Sit down and eat dear. Talk a bit."

Tenten put a few of the dumplings in a bowl and brought them over. She moved her chair closer to his so she sat to the side of him, rather than across from him. "Don't tell me you honestly miss me talking your ear off." She picked up one of the dumplings carefully with her chopsticks and bit into it before slowly drinking the soup inside. She may not have been able to cook, but she did make excellent stock for the dumplings to be filled with. "You should try one." The soup turned out sweet and flavorful, a taste Neji preferred over her usual favorites.

"No thanks. I have no desire to singe off my taste buds."

"It's not spicy." She finished her dumpling and smiled. "The only reason you burned your mouth on one before, is because you didn't know what was inside."

"If you're lying. I'm tying you up and not getting you off." He frowned, reaching for the spoon.

"So if I'm not lying you really will get me off?" She smirked.

"More times then you can count, and I'm sure you can count quite high."

"I'll hold you to that."

"I'm sure you will." He bit into one of the dumplings carefully and sipped the broth inside it, pausing. "Not as horrible as I thought it'd be." Far from it in fact, it was almost like that soup her mother had made one time that he enjoyed. Fortunately, Tenten had learned how to make something very similar.

She smirked. "Remember, I'm holding you to it, more times than I can count."

"Lucky for me after the first one, you loose your ability to count properly."

"I could always just leave some deep scratches on your back as a tally."

"Mm... but you'd still lose count. I don't know if you'd be able to handle starting over again."

"You're talking an awful lot now...don't tell me you're thinking about backing down now..." She ate another dumpling with a cheerful smile.

"Never." He smirked, hand on her shoulder, leaning closer to kiss the corner of her mouth.

"Then stop toying with me and get to it." She turned her head so her lips moved against his as she spoke.

He pulled away. "I told you to finish your dinner first, didn't I?"

"I think you're just stalling..." She mumbled, slightly disappointed when he moved away.

"Waiting makes it even sweeter when you do cum, doesn't it Amaya?"

She picked up another dumpling quickly. "Says the man with no control when I use my mouth..."

"You're not going to be in control tonight, so it doesn't matter."

She glanced toward the door. She'd know that chakra a mile away. Nobaru was outside. "I'm usually not in control." She said softly sucking the soup from the tiny hole she made in the dumpling. "I'm just good at making you lose control of yourself."

"Mmm. Maybe tomorrow, if you've recovered, you can take your turn in making me lose control."

Tenten finished off her dumplings. The rest were covered, and would remain hot in the container she had placed them in. "Maybe..." She smiled. "I wonder if anyone in this village has caught on..." She was sure Neji would get nervous at what she had just said. Perhaps he would be concerned she would slip.

"Caught on to what love?" He licked her neck, praying she knew they were being watched.

"You and me." She wanted to see him get nervous. Payback for messing up a perfectly good pair of panties. Payback for all the torture he'd put her through, mental, physical, and emotional.

"What about us dear?" He held her close, encouraging her to speak softly as he nibbled her ear.

She laughed warmly. Yeah, he was nervous enough, no more messing with him. "How badly we want a child."

"I don't know." He sighed, though it was from relief and not sadness. "Maybe they think we're simply sexual deviants, rather than trying to conceive."

"That's why I'm wondering if anyone has noticed." She smiled. "We knew there might be some difficulties though..."

"Yeah. The doctor said it'd be hard for you." He stroked her cheek. Behind the bandages his eyes focused on the outside of the house. Nobaru was there for sure, and possibly another shinobi, there was additional chakra he did not recognize.

Tenten gave the door an annoyed look and leaned against Neji's hand. "The difficulty will be worth it in the long run." She ignored all the thoughts in her mind about being a mother. That was one of those dreams she had given up on.

"Well, the more times we try, the better our chances, right?"

She nodded. "Would you want a son or a daughter?" She asked out of curiosity. "Or both?" She smiled. Neji would probably be a wonderful father when he got the chance.

"Mmm... maybe a boy to start off, a girl next." He lifted her and carried her to the bedroom.

Tenten blinked slightly. The bedroom...their acting was going to be stepped up a few degrees. She looked at him nervously. Just how far was he going to take it??

"We're being watched." Neji whispered in her ear as he nibbled it. "And they aren't leaving. We have to pretend." He murmured, opening her shirt.

She bit her lip. "How much?" She whispered back.

"We're going to have to act like we're..." He trailed off, pulling the blanket over them.

Tenten stared at him. She muttered very quietly, "Acting only gets you so far."

"I know, just relax, and fake another orgasm. Hopefully they'll leave soon." He told her quietly.

"You'll have to do some acting yourself." She whispered harshly.

"I can do that." He said sighing. "I'm sorry if this gets awkward."

"Likewise..." She said quietly.

Faking a low moan, Neji pretended to grind into her, his head pressed against her throat.

Tenten gently rubbed his back and shoulders. She could feel the tension in him, and he needed to relax if this was going to be believable. At some point, she managed to remove his shirt entirely. She whimpered in response to him and allowed her body to arch gently into his. She hoped he'd be able to forgive how realistic her act was going to be.

"I love you Amaya." He murmured, kissing her lips, arching into her, going slow and understandably, though embarrassingly, starting to get hard.

Tenten was almost afraid of how he'd respond to her this time. She moaned softly against his lips and gripped his shoulders. "T-Tsubasa..." She closed her eyes and wondered if he was doing his best to not look at her also.

Neji gasped, his eyes closed tight. "Amaya." He repeated harshly, lifting her legs around his waist. Her acting was up to par, and he admitted to himself that it was time for him to step up the act.

Tenten moaned loudly, she wanted him to say her name the way her cover name had been spoken. Her body arched against his and her grip on him tightened. She swore her cry shook the walls of the room, but it left her feeling empty. Her breathing was coming in shallow pants, her body was shaking, and if she didn't know any better, she could swear there were almost tears in her eyes. There was nothing pleasurable about wanting him so badly, and having to act out the very deed she wanted to commit with him.

"Relax Amaya." He whispered, noting with regret, that she was close to tears. He knew it was horrible for her, but he wished it wasn't that bad. "I'll give you what you want. Just relax love." He held her, it was the least he could do.

Tenten pulled Neji closer. Her heart was pounding, and he probably had no idea why, much to her great relief. He'd probably think she was tense with the situation, not aroused by it. She tried to take deep breaths to calm herself, but her lungs refused to cooperate.

"If you don't relax Amaya, you'll pass out again." He murmured, stroking her hair soothingly as he mimicked slow thrusts.

Tenten bit back a moan as her body continued to respond uncontrollably to him. She almost growled in frustration at the moist heat between her legs, and gods was she glad that she had her chest bound under that bra.

Watching her, Neji found himself impressed with Tenten's acting skills. If he didn't know any better, he would think she was really aroused. Unfortunately for him, he was a male, and had Tenten writhing underneath him. His manhood was beginning to betray him.

Tenten gently tugged Neji's hair. "Kiss me." She managed to whisper to him. While she knew that would do her little good in the long run, it would alleviate some of her current frustration.

Without another word, Neji leaned down, intent on giving her a slow, soft, comforting kiss; and pretending he wasn't nearly poking her in the thigh.

Tenten moaned against Neji's lips and deepened the kiss. She turned his gentle kiss, rough and passionate, and she noted, with relief, that she felt a bit better after doing so. Neji held her tight, but refused to let her dominate the kiss. Uncommon to him, relief seemed to flood him when he kissed her and part of him greatly enjoyed her response.

__

I am enjoying this far too much…

Tenten relaxed immediately. Neji had relaxed very suddenly, which helped her calm down. The way he was holding her, the way he responded to the kiss, the way his body felt so close to hers...gods if their peep didn't buzz off, she worried, that they might cross a few lines that friends ought not to cross.

"Amaya... I..." Neji breathed heavily, before suddenly pulling away. "He's gone now." He sighed with relief. That was too close.

Tenten mentally groaned. She was ashamed to admit, she was enjoying herself. She slowly pushed herself into a sitting position. "Y-You ok?"

"Yeah I'm fine. What about you? You were about to cry."

Tenten blushed and looked away. He was watching her a bit then... "It was nothing. I'm fine."

"Are you sure?" He asked pushing aside her now messy hair. Unbearable guilt was welling inside him for putting her through that.

She nodded and felt a smile tug at her lips when his fingers brushed against her cheek at the motion. "What were...you about to say though?"

"I was going to say I love you." He said nonchalantly.

She laughed to herself. "And to think I thought you needed lessons."

"I told you I didn't." He blushed, turning his head to the side.

"I should have taken your word for it." She conceded lying down slowly. She felt horrible wanting him to kiss her again. She glanced at him and rolled her eyes. She should have felt worse that she wanted him on her again.

Neji pat her on the shoulder, before standing up and heading for the bathroom. Thank god she hadn't noticed his hard-on yet.

Tenten sighed in frustration when he walked down the hall. What the hell was he doing in the bathroom anyway? She buried her face into the pillow. It wasn't like he'd gotten aroused or anything, whereas she was stuck with an uncomfortable wet heat between her legs, and probably another pair of ruined panties.

Neji stood in the bathroom, glaring at his erection like it had personally wronged him, and it had. Wrapping a hand around himself, he bit the inside of his cheek. Why the hell did his penis suddenly decide it hated him?

Tenten made sure that bathroom door was shut before sliding a hand down her body. It didn't feel a thing like his, but that didn't mean she couldn't use her imagination for a few minutes. However, Neji finished quickly, she heard him shutting off the sink and heard the light creak of the door. Neji was unwittingly about to catch her in the act. Tenten drew her hand quickly away when the door opened and let it fall casually across her stomach. _Damn him damn him damn him! He couldn't have taken just a few more minutes? _

Neji yawned, laying down under the covers. He was tired. "Goodnight Tenten." He opened his arms, knowing that Tenten was still cold on nights that were chilly.

Tenten looked at his open arms. No...he really had no idea what she had just gone through, no idea at all. However, as usual she would not turn down the offer to be near him. She moved into his arms and wrapped her arms around him. "Neji?"

"Yeah Tenten?" He spoke softly, in case they were still being watched.

She blushed slightly and shifted her body closer to his. She kept her voice low, so only he would hear her. "...You're a really good actor."

"Sorry that I made you uncomfortable."

"Don't apologize." She didn't want him apologizing. "It...wasn't that bad."

"What do you mean?"

She turned red. She walked into that. "I mean...it wasn't...that bad...it wasn't all that...uncomfortable." She said slowly. She wanted to say that if they were really married, she'd have bitched at him if he stopped because the people watching left.

"You liked it?" Neji blinked owlishly at that.

She shook her head quickly. "I'm not saying that." She did though. "I mean...I trust you."

"Oh." Neji was relieved. The whole thing was incredibly awkward. "I'm glad, that you trust me." His relief showed in his small smile.

"You handled it...a lot better than most guys would have." Most men would have crossed the lines. _Tch, lines I want him to cross. How ironic._

"It was... odd..." He admitted.

"Which part?" She glanced at him.

"Rubbing against you like a dog in heat. I feel like Kiba." He blanched.

Tenten found herself laughing against his chest. His statement was so blatant.

"It wasn't that funny." He frowned, pulling the blankets over them more.

"It's the way you said it." She smiled shutting her eyes. Tenten wanted to ask him why it was that he relaxed so much when they kissed, why it felt like he enjoyed it, and even wanted it. She decided against asking him though. It would be a loaded question, and he'd see through it in a heartbeat.

Neji just closed his eyes, "Go to sleep Tenten." He sighed, and was soon asleep.

She waited until he was in deep sleep to shift slightly and brush her lips across his. He didn't wake and he'd probably never know. That little kiss brought an incredible amount of relief. "Goodnight...Neji." She whispered settling back into his arms and shutting her eyes.

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AN: Well there you go! Aha, Kigen and I had a lot of fun writing this chapter. She currently has writer's block so it might be another two weeks before I throw up the next chapter. Hopefully this will be one of those chapters you all like reading a few times hehe. No lie, you know you all love her as Nobaru and Neji~

Till next chapter! ENJOY!


	11. Chapter 11

Disillusioned

By: Faraway Dawn & Kigen

Disclaimer: We don't own anything. But we are putting Kishimoto's characters to great use!

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Chapter 11

"And that's my report Raikage-sama." Nobaru stood, stretching. "Tsubasa is definitely at the jounin level, even if he didn't advance. As for the she-harpy; something about her just doesn't sit right. I still think they should be observed. Maybe brought in for questioning."

The young chuunin from immigration entered the room. "I apologize Raikage-sama, for my tardines-" The young man, rolled his eyes. Nobaru was finishing his report. He had been hoping to miss the perverted jounin entirely.

"Hi Taiki-chan!" His arm wrapped around Taiki's shoulders. "Being late on purpose just so you can see me? I'm flattered." Nobaru nuzzled his neck.

Taiki stiffened slightly. "I thought you were over me." He lightly shoved Nobaru away. "Thought Tsubasa was more to your liking? Or have you given up on him because he adores his wife so much?" The chuunin bowed slightly. "As I was saying, my apologies for my tardiness Raikage-sama."

"Don't play like that with me baby. So what if Tsubasa's my current flame? I'd never say no to you babe." Nobaru wrapped his arms around Taiki from behind. "Besides, you can't say you scream as loudly for anyone else." He nibbled his neck.

Taiki rolled his eyes in embarrassment. Nobaru was the designated village pervert, and he always had been. He had a thing for young, talented, attractive, and clearly intelligent males. Taiki cursed his lot in life to fall into those categories. He generally ignored Nobaru in everyday life. "As per my orders, I have spoken with Tsubasa on several occasions and observed him in basic instruction and training, he's clearly at the jounin level, even though he was unable to advance due to his injuries. He's calm, level headed, and very patient from my observations. His reflexes are impressive and I have no reason to doubt he'd make an excellent instructor. I see little reason to continue heavy observation of him or his wife."

"The she-harpy has too much chakra to be the average house wife, even though she hides it well. Not to mention her skill handling knives, and strength," Nobaru said, hugging Taiki from behind, and worming a hand under his shirt. "trust me that's reason enough."

Taiki sharply smacked Nobaru's hand away. "Her records from her life predating her time in Konoha have been sent to us by the Kazekage. Her story checks out. Her parents were weapon smiths, she helped run their shop, thus her skill with knives and handling weapons. Just because a girl can hold a weapon doesn't mean she can use it. Pretty face like hers, I expect she was a valuable asset to sales." Taiki managed to pry himself free of Nobaru's hold. "Her artwork isn't half bad either, though her husband enjoys teasing her about it." Taiki set down two water colored pictures. They were detailed and stunning in coloration. "'Sunagakure at sunset.'" He nodded to the first. "And our own village during the festival. It currrently is untitled." He said nodding to the second.

"It still doesn't explain her freakishly high chakra." Nobaru pouted like a puppy at the smack. "You hurt me Taiki-chan." Nobaru fakely sniffled.

"I'm sure." Taiki said dryly. "Her chakra can be explained with her lack of control over it." Taiki set down the Amaya's academy scores. "She has terrible chakra control, and her scores in all other areas are just horrific. If she has a large quantity of chakra, she probably just had a great deal of untapped skill and simply can not control it." Taiki shrugged. "Her husband stated she knows a few medical ninjutsu, but who knows, maybe that's what she should have been trained for." Taiki glanced out one of the large windows. "They probably figured she had no talent because of her scores."

"I still don't trust her. Her gorgeous side of man meat aside, I don't trust her. That's enough of a reason for me." The jounin smirked, nipping Taiki right behind the ear, where he was sensitive.

The Raikage watched the two with faint amusement. They were the best at what they did, despite their individual personality quirks. Taiki was polite to a fault and very caring making him excellent for work in immigration. He knew the village front and back and had remarkable skill for picking out those worthy of intense observation. Nobaru couldn't give a damn about what you thought of him, but he had yet to fail in any of his objectives.

Taiki twitched and moved away. "Nobaru, will you stop that?! Seriously!" The dusty blonde was a few shades of red in the face. "Raikage-sama, if we are planning to instate Tsubasa as a cloud shinobi, and as an instructor, we'd have to cut back on the observation of him and his wife. Occasional surveillance I understand, but near constant observation is unnecessary."

"Sounds like a plan. Go ahead and call off the others. I'll take full charge of watching them." Nobaru's hand tickled down Taiki's spine. The main reason the Raikage kept him around was because when it came to things like this, he had never been wrong before.

The Raikage glanced at the chuunin, awaiting his response.

"Raikage-sama, Tsubasa and Amaya have brought it to my attention that Nobaru has nearly crossed the lines with them in public." He again ignored Nobaru's actions. Nobaru had a bad habit of touching people who did not want to be touched, and sometimes, all you could do was ignore him until he got bored with you. "His interests in Tsubasa are grounds to remove him from this task at once. There are plenty of capable jounin who can keep an eye on them occasionally."

"Once, that Amaya told me to stop; forcibly I'll add, I haven't touched them. I certainly haven't made any comments to her I wouldn't make to any woman." Nobaru cupped Taiki's ass, fondling the flesh there. "Besides, you know why you put me on the mission in the first place Raikage-sama. I've never been wrong before."

"Raikage-sama for the love of the gods stop him at once." Taiki was at his wits end with the jounin. "I can completely sympathize with the poor woman!"

"Why? It's not like I'm touching her like this. That'd be gross. Besides, you used to like it so much Taiki-chan."

"I have told you hundreds of times I have no interest in you Nobaru, I believe Tsubasa has expressed the same, he is a married man, and he is off limits to you." Taiki swore under his breath. Sometimes, arranged marriages didn't look half bad when they got you out of this kind of flirtation. "She has every right to be defensive about her husband. Raikage-sama, you specifically stated that all shinobi on this mission were to respect the relationship between Tsubasa and his wife. They are married, as such, fraternization was to be left out entirely. Nobaru has been ignoring said orders. I am aware he's gotten off with a slap on the wrist before, but he has also gone too far before. We can not allow a repetition of events, especially with such a promising instructor on our doorstep."

"I haven't done a thing since the warning." Nobaru defended himself. "I've been behaving and keeping my hands to myself! I can't be punished." He said, wrapping his arms around Taiki's shoulders and leaning his chin on his shoulder.

"Raikage-sama, for the sake of the mission the rest of us feel it is best to limit Nobaru to minimal contact with the Takimuras. We already planned on cutting back surveillance on them when Tsubasa was ready to be tested and possibly instated as an instructor. He is ready, he should be tested and instated." Taiki pulled away from Nobaru. "You'll get to see him plenty then Nobaru, but you'll still have to keep your hands off him."

"Are we really that desperate for instructors? Tsubasa is an ex-Leaf nin, our enemies. He's been here for only a few months. You can't trust him with such a position so soon."

"You trust him enough to want in his pants." Taiki muttered.

"You don't need trust to fuck someone." Nobaru said flipping his hair. "I still think they're up to something."

"You've been saying everyone and their dog has been up to something since those researchers arrived." Taiki countered again eyeing the weather. There would likely be a storm in the upcoming hours, and he decided he would have to make his time in the office as short as possible.

"Because they are. Having those researchers here is only making us more open to attack."

"You attacked that grocer because you thought he was consorting with our enemies! He's been in a coma for over five months! His wife has been calling from your removal from service." The young chuunin was frustrated. The poor old man had sold one of the researchers some food, to which the researcher was unaware he was allergic. A simple mistake, the researcher was fine, the old man however...

"An honest mistake." Nobaru stood straight. "If we didn't take in the researchers in the first place, we wouldn't have to deal with that."

"Raikage-sama, the decision is yours alone, but we feel it is in the village's best interest to remove Nobaru from this mission. He is prone to overreacting, and his advances are not aiding the situation at all. We will continue observation, and even inform Nobaru if we feel anything suspicious is going on, but for now..." Taiki narrowed his light eyes at Nobaru in annoyance. "All we have managed to discover is that Amaya was severely injured in her youth, and this injury is making it difficult for her to conceive. She and Tsubasa have been eager to have a child, and all we've managed by watching them, is to see that they are sexually active, as any couple trying to have a child would be."

"Kinky as fuck too." Nobaru couldn't help but add. "If you want me off the mission, fine. I still want to be able to check up on them periodically."

"I'll agree to that if someone is with you." Taiki said warningly. Chuunin though he was, he was greatly trusted in any matters involving immigration, and he knew his words would hold some weight.

"Ahhh... If you wanted a date, all you had to do was ask."

Taiki sighed. "Raikage-sama? Your answer?"

"Nobaru will be removed from his current position in the mission." The Raikage said, nodding in agreement with the young chuunin. "He's to observe them once every two weeks, then once every month, and further tapering until the two are fully trusted. He is to be accompanied at all times by someone from Immigration while observing them."

Taiki sighed with relief. Instating Tsubasa would be much easier without Nobaru breathing down the young man's neck...literally.

"Of course, I'll need something else to distract me. Are you willing Taiki-chan? I'll even take you out to dinner beforehand."

"No. I have work to do." Taiki grumbled. "I'm the one setting up Tsubasa's test dates. Go pester Haru or Isamu." He referred to his former squad members before he was assigned to immigration. Haru was...well a pretty boy. Isamu was blatantly gay and in love with Nobaru, even if he wasn't quite as pretty.

"Haru's going through male PMS and Isamu's trying to propose. Besides, you're much smarter and cuter than them."

"And not available." Taiki deadpanned. He bowed slightly. "Thank you for your assistance in this matter Raikage-sama. I'll set up Tsubasa's test dates, and if he passes, and I'm sure he will, I'll arrange the dates for you to meet with him and his wife before his instatement."

"Come on Taiki-chan. I'm beggin' here." He wrapped an arm around Taiki's shoulder again. "I'll even take you on a date before I fuck ya raw."

Taiki tugged his shoulder away and headed for the door. "I'm seeing someone Nobaru. Please excuse me Raikage-sama, I have some things to take care of." The chuunin bowed once more and left swiftly with a transportation jutsu. He would need to find Tsubasa and tell him that he would be setting up examination dates for him.

Nobaru sighed, and stood up. _Nah, maybe Haru's over his PMSing now_. He ambled off, intent to find someone for the night.

Across the village, Tenten was busy cleaning, it had been her most relaxing day ever. No one watching them at all, even Neji was more relaxed. Although his eyes were covered, he had taken to sitting by the window and scanning nearby buildings with his Byakugan, to see if they were hiding anything. If there were any that could be useful at a later date, for hiding, or cover, he made quick note of it. "It's been so...quiet today." She said softly.

Oddly, after their awkward situation in the bedroom, she felt much more relaxed about her feelings for him. She wasn't blushing at every turn, and even managed to keep her mind out of the gutter most of the time.

Neji nodded. "It's nice." He said, because it was. They were alone for a change, able to relax a little, It didn't last long however, he noted when there was a knock at the door. "I spoke too soon." Neji mumbled, getting up to answer it. The chakra signature was vaguely familiar, though he couldn't specifically place it.

Tenten sighed slightly. Here it had been turning out to be a peaceful day. She felt chakra at the door, but it wasn't the one she was expecting. She knew it, but she couldn't put a name to the signature.

Neji opened the door, leaning against the frame. "Hello, can I help you?"

Taiki smiled slightly. "Tsubasa-san, good to see you, just who I wanted to speak with. Nishiyama Taiki, from immigration. Do you have a moment?"

"Yes. Come in, please." Neji let him enter, and walked to the living room. "We have a guest Amaya."

Tenten blinked a few times. It was the chuunin they met when they arrived, the one from immigration who had interviewed Neji. She smiled warmly at him. "I'll get some tea..." She hurried into the kitchen to make tea. She was grateful she'd moved all notes, which had been in the living room for Neji's analysis, back to the bathroom. This was the first time they had one of the cloud shinobi in their house with them.

Neji sat on the couch, hand on his lap. "What's the nature of this visit Nishiyama-san?"

"Oh please, just Taiki." The chuunin laughed quietly. "I'm here about your possible instatement as a cloud shinobi. How interested are you in taking up a job as an instructor?"

"At what level Taiki-san?" Being an instructor would be great to gather more information, but he wasn't about to ruin the mission by becoming a cell instructor.

"An academy instructor. A large quantity of our jounin are stuck with genin still because of a severe lack of quality teaching from their instructors. If a child can not master the basics of being a shinobi, naturally, they have a hard time advancing. I had a few of the senior instructors speak with you during the festival, I'm sure you recall them. They said your knowledge of the basic techniques was top notch, it's what we look for in instructors and rarely find."

"I suppose I would have nothing against being a hands on instructor." Neji responded, leaning back in the couch. "I'd need to get back into shape." He said, almost to himself.

Tenten returned with tea which she set carefully on the table. She poured two cups carefully and glanced at Neji. She had caught that he was offered an academy position. He'd have access to some of the inner workings of the village. He'd be able to wander more freely, talk with more people, and of course learn more secrets.

"What would be required of me Taiki-san?" He asked, thanking Amaya for the tea, and taking a sip.

Taiki thanked Amaya for the tea with a smile and returned his eyes to Tsubasa. The man's wife was hard not to stare at sometimes, a few others had said the same. It was something about the young woman's smile and warm eyes. "A simple examination, a verbal test of your knowledge, a test of your combat skills taking disability into consideration, if you pass the instructor's examinations, we'd move you on to instatement. It's much of the same. Just a few small formalities after that."

Neji nodded. That seemed about right, very similar to Konoha's procedures. "Will I be subjected to any tests to see about my loyalty?" Those were what he was most worried about.

"Depends, any reason we should believe your loyalty would waiver?" Taiki asked quietly. Loyalty was a delicate subject. Tests of loyalty were always a bit twisted.

"I've left the leaf behind me. While I would not be happy if we had plans against them; a ninja's emotions have no place in his duty, correct?"

"Correct." Taiki nodded. Tsubasa's attitude was perfect for a shinobi. "We don't have plans for open war, the last one was devastating enough." Taiki said quietly. "A lot of people our age in this village were orphaned, myself included. Few in the village have any care to see such a thing happen again."

Neji nodded in his agreement. "Only the blood thirsty and heartless openly enjoy war. I would go to great lengths to see such a thing doesn't happen; for those who live here, as well as my family." His hand gripped Tenten's, his fingers lacing with hers.

Taiki nodded in response. "This village has a history of warmongering. Unfortunately with the Leaf, namely, the Hyuuga clan. People who have lost something due to the foolishness of their villages leadership can understand how important it is to preserve our current peace, it is important, that our instructors can teach this to the children of this village." Taiki laughed a bit. "At least, that has always been a hope among those of us who have lost people we care for."

"It's a hope of mine as well Taiki-san." Neji let a small, wistful smile grace his lips. "I've seen first hand the kind of pain brought upon someone by losing something precious to them."

Tenten looked down slightly. She knew somehow he was speaking about his father, and what the loss of his father had done to him.

"When can we schedule the first series of tests?" Neji sat up straighter, changing the subject.

"Whenever you'd like, we were hoping to do it before the end of summer. It's warm here in the fall, but after the fall, you've got winter and spring to contend with. Tests are easier when it's easier to get around the village." Taiki laughed cheerfully. "We get a substantial amount of snow."

"That's not going to be fun." Neji muttered, running a hand through his hair. "Give me some time to get into better fighting form. I'll arrange a test date with you then."

"If you want a place to work away from prying eyes, I'd suggest...taking a day out of the village with your wife." Taiki smirked. "I'm sure she wouldn't mind watching you. People won't question you spending time together in some of the areas not far outside the village, as long as you returned by nightfall. If anyone questions it, I'll take the fall." He held out a slip of paper. "My approval for your independent training outside of village supervision. Being in charge of immigration grants me some privileges."

Neji smiled, taking the paper and handing it to Amaya. "Thank you Taiki-san. If there's something I can do for you, please let me know."

He laughed a bit. "Unfortunately you've done more than enough already. I was Nobaru's prime target until you showed up...I've been trying to get him to leave you alone."

Neji winced. "You have my sympathies." He frowned. "So I take it I'm not his first victim?"

"Hardly. He has a thing for young men who are talented, intelligent, and attractive. When I said it took someone with thick skin to handle this place, I didn't just mean the weather. We've lost a lot of young men to him."

"Why does the Raikage continue to employ him then, if you don't mind my asking?" He had to be a powerful ninja for the Raikage to put up with all the sexual harassment complaints he was sure he received.

"He's one of the best at what he does. He's an expert at weeding out spies."

"Is that why he's been stalking my wife? He thinks we're spies?" Neji rubbed his temples. "Or is it simply because I suit his tastes?"

"Both. He refuses to accept facts as they are. Your documentation has been thoroughly examined to make sure it wasn't a forgery, I'm sure you're aware of village precautions? All your documents check out, but he believes your wife is an undercover...ninja." Taiki felt odd saying that. He knew he shouldn't have said it, but it was so absurd!

Neji snorted. "While it's true she has a slight skill with weapons, and ninja-esque grace, the only way she could kill someone would be by offering them dinner."

"Tsubasa!!!" Tenten turned red.

"It's true." He ducked her swipe. "Aside from your cooking, you're harmless."

She pouted fakely. "You had to bring up my cooking?? Those dumplings turned out just fine..."

"I made them." Neji pointed out. "You just made the filling. Besides, they would kill normal human beings."

She crossed her arms. "You're still mad that you burned your mouth on one when you were thirteen."

"You didn't warn me that they were molten inside." Neji sighed, sipping his tea again. "I apologize Taiki-san. I'm sure you don't want to hear our lover's quarrel."

"It's quite fine. It's good to see such a strong bond between you two. Few of the married couples here are quite as happy with each other as the two of you are. This isn't an easy village to survive without someone close to you. You two will probably do just fine among us, with a connection like yours." Taiki was floored by the pair of them. These two...they really were happy. He couldn't quite remember the last time he saw a pair so happy. His parents perhaps? His aunt and uncle? How long ago was it?

"Thank you Taiki-san. If Nobaru continues to bother you, I'll have Amaya send him a batch of cookies or something."

Taiki laughed when Amaya threw a light punch at her husband's arm. "A-Actually, that might be welcome. A large portion of the villages young men would worship her for it."

"Hear that Amaya? You might actually find some men who'll like you."

Tenten shot him a look. "You're horrible." She lightly tightened her grip on his hand. "I don't need men to like me anyway." She smiled. "You loving me is more than enough."

Neji smiled, pulling her closer. "It better be, otherwise you'd be out of luck." He pecked her lips lightly.

Taiki chuckled. "I'll leave you two be and get to work setting some of those tests up. I wouldn't want to further impose on your day."

"Thank you again Taiki-san. I'll be in touch."

A few minutes after Taiki left Tenten sighed in relief. She looked at Neji with a wide grin. "That went well."

"Much better than I thought it would." Neji said sitting up straighter.

Tenten shifted slightly. "So they were suspicious of me because I'm graceful? That's funny. They never saw me trip over my own feet." She thought to one of her first taijutsu training sessions with Neji, in which, she had tripped backwards over her own feet, resulting in a smirk from her then twelve year old teammate.

"You have improved greatly since we were younger. You don't fall nearly as much anymore."

"I don't fall ever unless I'm forced down now." She smirked.

Neji chuckled. He was starting to feel like a pervert with all the innuendoes.

Tenten tilted her head. "What??" _What's he laughing about?? _

"Too much innuendo Amaya."

Tenten blinked. _Too much in-oh...forced down._.."Tsubasa I think your turning into a pervert..." She nudged Neji lightly.

"You're the one who's done it to me Amaya."

Tenten stared at him. "Me?" _How the heck did I turn you into a pervert Neji? _She thought, her eyes slowly peeling themselves away from, where she knew under the bandages, were his eyes.

"If you hadn't started to make so many comments, I wouldn't have fallen into the habit."

Tenten looked away and cleared her throat. She was slightly amused by the fact that Neji was blaming any traces of perversion on her. "Are you going to try to take some time to train again?" She glanced at him hopefully. She missed training with him.

"Yeah. Maybe go to the place Taiki-san mention."

"You'll take me too? You know I love watching you..." She was trying not to grin. She wanted a good chance to vent some stress. She had scrolls she'd never used that she wanted to try.

"If you're good."

"You know I'll be good." She smiled. "Maybe you could try to teach me those basics again too." She laughed cheerfully. "Even though I know I'll fail miserably." She wondered how curious he had really been about her taijutsu. Would he want to see that?

"I suppose I could teach you some basics, maybe some taijutsu."

Yep, he was curious. She smirked at him.

"Why so eager to learn love?"_Heh, to see the look on your face…_

"I do. For some odd reason, men find you attractive here."

Tenten crossed her arms. "I don't know why, I'm not all that attractive." She thought of Ino and Sakura. They had her outclassed in the beauty department as far as she was concerned. She glanced at Neji for a few seconds. "So really? You get worried about me when I'm out alone?"

"A bit, but I figure your personality would turn them away soon enough."

She rolled her eyes and looked away. "You're horrible." Some stupid girly voice in her head wanted him to say that she was attractive. _This IS Neji we're talking about, it's not gonna happen_. Even if Neji did find a girl attractive he wouldn't say it.

"What's wrong? Do you want me to say you're pretty Amaya?"

Tenten shook her head. The last thing she wanted him to do was just say it on prompt. "I know I'm pretty." She smiled slightly gathering the cups and taking them to the kitchen. "I'm not going to pretend I'm a total knockout though."

"You were very attractive at the festival." Neji admitted, leaning back on the couch, recalling how he almost couldn't believe what he saw through the bandages that day, and had very quickly taken them off to make sure his eyes were not deceiving him.

"I know..." She washed the dishes quickly. "A few married men told me they would trade their wives for me in a heartbeat."

Neji smirked. "And what did the wives say?"

"They said, fine, as long as they could have you."

Neji chuckled, "I shouldn't be surprised."

"No, you really shouldn't be." She smiled and wiped a few of the dishes dry.

He leaned back thinking. "We'll need to schedule the trip soon."

When she finished the dishes, she went back over to the couch and sat down beside him. "Eager to train?" She smirked._ What's wrong Neji? Curiosity getting the better of you?_

"Eager to get away from prying eyes and get back into shape, yes. And, it would be enjoyable to overpower you."

"You could overpower me right now." She shrugged.

"I could, but I would imagine you're still sore from last night. Besides, it's no fun when you just give in."

"I'm not sore." She smirked leaning back and stretching slightly.

"I suppose it's easier to not get sore when one's that flexible." Neji mused.

"Dancing does wonders." Tenten laughed.

"If dancing is what they call it."

She laughed again. "No no, real dancing. I had to learn how to dance." She tilted her head. Maybe he didn't watch how she moved when she fought as much as she watched him. "You know, like dancing...lessons?"

Neji twitched. "You were never to mention that again." He said darkly.

"I don't know what you're going on about, I mean dancing, like my mom paid some crazy old bat to teach me to dance."

"What kind of dancing is that?"

She sighed. How was she going to say all this? "Remember when we were younger...I used to watch you train?" She tried not to get annoyed with the code. She spoke of when she helped him train, the way she moved when they fought, when she used her weapons.

"Yes, I remember. What about it?"

"Remember how I moved?" She said bluntly.

"Yeah. You were surprisingly graceful with impressive muscle control."

"That's what years of dance classes do." She rolled her eyes. "You think I just woke up one morning with that?"

"No. I thought that you had finally learned some grace." He smirked. He had thought she was finally getting stronger.

"I love you too." She mumbled sarcastically shoving him lightly onto his side.

Neji caught himself, and sat upright. "I was impressed."

"By what?" She glanced at him. She had stressed since the day that she met him that a woman could be as skilled as a man. For a long time she worked to prove it to him. She knew he gave her credit for her skill, even if he never directly said it. It was she, after all, that he had asked to train with him.

"You worked hard and did something quite quickly that no one thought you could. Why wouldn't I be impressed?"

She shrugged. "The only thing I did quickly was get you to trust me, and even I don't know how I did that." She slumped into the couch. It was too comfy, and she could've cared less about not being ladylike when they were alone.

"You proved yourself trustworthy. What else would be needed?"

"I didn't know if I could do it when I first met you." She admitted. "You didn't really trust anyone, then I found out about..." She glanced at him. His blind spot. In training one of her kunai almost hit him, she realized he couldn't see it, and knocked him to the ground before it hit him. They had been alone, and he forbade her to speak of it. To the very day, she had never told a soul where his blind spot was.

"It doesn't matter about my blind spot now. After all, Every spot is a blind spot." He mused, hand landing to cover hers. "Though, I appreciate that you've kept it secret."

She looked down at his hand over hers. "I wouldn't have told a soul, even if they tried to force it from me." His hand was warm and she liked how it felt against her own. He had rough hands, from years of training, and they were similar to her own lightly calloused hands.

Neji nodded, stroking her fingers absentmindedly as they sat in the quiet together. A quiet sigh left Tenten after a few just had to go and do that didn't he?

"You are quite eager, aren't you?" He mused, letting her rest there. Perhaps she wanted to show him her taijutsu as much as he wanted to see it. "I suppose we can go in a few days."

"I miss it, that's all." She answered, not sure why she was justifying herself.

"It's fine Amaya. We'll go in a few days." Detangling her, he stood up and stretched_, "I'm going to make dinner now."_

She cursed to herself. "Alright." She smiled and waited until he had moved toward the kitchen before moving into the spot he had been sitting. "Anything I should do while you're doing that?" She called to him. She always felt a bit bad that she was such a useless cook.

"Make tea and don't burn it."

She got up quickly to make the tea. "I'm not so bad that I'd burn water. My dad was, but I'm not that bad."

"I still don't know how you set that pot on fire." He muttered, starting to slice chicken.

"I heard that." She growled lightly, poking him in the shoulder.

"And you don't argue because it's true."

Tenten laughed. Yeah it was true, she wasn't sure how it happened either. "It's the price I pay for other things."

"Oh? What would they be? I'm sure you're referring to good habits?"

"The ones you never complain about." She answered glancing at him out of the corner of her eye.

"...And what aspects do I not complain about?"

"Most of them actually." Tenten tilted her head. "You really don't complain about me..."

"I'll need to work on that." Neji smirked.

"Aw don't do that. I like being one of the few people you tolerate."

"Don't worry, the list of people I tolerate won't get too big."

"As long as your sensei and his double don't one up me on that list I'm happy." She watched him cutting up the food. "You're going to cut yourself if you aren't careful."

"I can handle it." He answered moving the blade through the meat. "I've done countless things more dangerous, than cut chicken, with a weapon. You don't need to worry."

"It's the way you're cutting though." She put her hand over his and guided the movement. "Move the blade away from yourself instead of towards yourself." She rubbed the back of her head sheepishly. "Sorry...one of those things that just drives me nuts..."

"I can cut chicken just fine Amaya." He sighed, but listened. He knew when things bugged Tenten, she'd flutter about until he listened.

She nodded but noticed that he listened. It made her feel a bit better. While she'd admit Neji was very careful, compared to her, he was clumsy with sharp objects, just as she was careless with her foot work when they sparred.

"Perfectionist." Neji muttered, just to annoy her as he went about starting on the vegetables.

"Takes one to know one." She muttered back going back to making the tea.

"I'm not going to deny it." He smirked, adding the seasoning.

"And that's why we get along so well." Tenten added the tea leaves to the hot water. "We're both perfectionists, you have an ego the size of the world, and for some odd reason I just like that about you. Works out great huh?"

"Very much so." He ignored the ego comment. "If it didn't this wouldn't work."

"Mhm. Speaking of work..." She thought they really needed to get to work. Most of their time in the village had been convincing people they were not a threat, and that they were really just a young married couple. Which, Tenten would not deny, had been much easier than she had expected.

"We can start exploring a bit more and drop our guard a bit. We won't constantly have voyeurs watching us." It was mission code. They would be able to start the investigation soon.

"Sounds great." She stared at her hands. Her end of the work was liable to be a bit more dangerous. She could extensively map out the interior of the buildings, and disarm traps as she went. Once he had compiled a basic layout, she would be the first in.

"You'll need to be careful. Dropping your guard will make it easier for the less than savory to take advantage of you." He was worried still about what could happen in public. What would happen when she wasn't supposed to be able to take care of herself?

"In public I'll still be careful." Her eyes drifted in his direction. She could tell he was worried about her safety in public still. _Why is he so worried though...I didn't tell him about my orders specifically so he wouldn't worry_. "I'll be ok alone though."

He frowned but nodded. He was glad Lee had told him about Tenten's orders. It would make protecting her easier.

"How did you know?" She asked quietly. She knew that he somehow knew about her orders, but she had not mentioned them. She didn't want him to worry about her.

"Know what?" he asked

"About that."

"That...my friend told me."

She though of everyone they knew..._Lee. It must have been Lee._ "I see." She frowned. That was why he always made sure he was never far when they separated ways in the village for short amounts of time.

"Why? Does it bother you?"

"Does it bother you that I didn't tell you?" It didn't bother her...not really. She felt slightly more at ease knowing he'd be keeping an eye on her incase things got bad.

"No. Not much." He admitted frying the food.

"So my other secrets don't bother you?" She looked at him. She hated keeping things secret from him, but some things she couldn't tell him, even if she wanted to. She'd been keeping her taijutsu secret to surprise him with, she kept her mission orders private to keep him from worrying, and she kept back her feelings to maintain their friendship._ So many secrets, for someone who knows me so well, Neji, you really don't know me all that well at all._

"Everyone has secrets, and it takes time to reveal them. It's a fact." He always figured Tenten had a few secrets up her sleeve.

"I'm sure there are things you haven't told me too." She poured them both a bit of tea.

"I've told you more than I've told most." He admitted, glancing at her behind the bandages.

"I'm glad that you could tell me so much..."_ You'll never tell me everything though._ "I know there are some things, you just won't talk about to anyone though." She held out a cup of tea for him. "I don't expect to know all of your secrets."

"Secrets aren't meant to be known. They're meant to be learned as time goes on and trust grows." He said simply, taking the tea and drinking.

"And some can't be shared with just anyone..." She drank her tea quietly. Some things, she knew, could only be shared with someone you loved, and Neji, was not likely to be sharing those secrets with anyone. "It's not all that bad though, I doubt we'd be as interesting without our share of secrets. People would probably get bored with each other."

"I disagree. People can learn many things that are not secrets. For example, when you're having a bad dream, your nose crinkles when you frown, and you throw your arms out. That's hardly a secret, but still something new that someone can learn."

Tenten tilted her head. "I do?"

"Yes, you do." He smirked. "You even learned something yourself."

"Watched me sleep much??"

"You toss and mumble when you do it. It woke me up, so of course I would notice."

_Killjoy... _"Well...you mumble in your sleep a lot." He woke her up a good few times too. "Grabbed my butt a few times too."

"You sound as though I purposely did that."

"Not at all." She smirked. "Why did you?"

"I wasn't aware I had done such a thing. Doesn't that answer your question?"

She laughed. Of course he didn't know, he was asleep. "I'll give you one thing." She poured herself more tea. "I can tell when you're having a nightmare."

"Oh? How can you tell that?" He raised a brow, though it went undetected under the bandages.

"Your breathing gets heavier and your heartbeat becomes erratic. You have a habit of burying your head into my neck." The first time Neji had done that it scared her, she hadn't been able to tell what was wrong, and it took forever to find a way to calm him.

"I don't remember this. Didn't you wake me when I had a nightmare?"

She shook her head. "You calmed down after a few minutes." Naruto had told her of a time when he got Sasuke to stop panicking with deep even breathing. She had taken the idea to heart and adjusted her breathing... _Yeah while not so subconsciously running my hands through his hair..._ Ironically, while the breathing helped, the physical contact seemed to calm him more. _And I only did it because his bangs were falling across his forehead. It's not my fault he reacted to the touch._

"I apologize for any discomfort I may have caused you."

Tenten gave him an odd look. Why was he apologizing for a nightmare? "There's nothing to apologize for. I was worried about you though...a bit I mean."

"I imagine that it made you uneasy though. I apologize for that."

"Not really, just concerned." Tenten couldn't recall a time when she had seen him look so..._Frightened? Is that even the word for it? Was he afraid? I don't even know what he was dreaming about._

Neji nodded, bringing the cup to his lips again. He didn't often remember his nightmares, but they left him with a cold sweat and an unpleasant feeling in his gut. He could only imagine how vulnerable and uneasy he had seemed to Tenten.

"I couldn't remember a time when I'd seen you like that." She said quietly looking down at the cup in her hands. She imagined it must have been hell for Neji, who was always so calm and collected, to have felt so out of control. "You were shaking a bit."

"It's fine Amaya. Don't worry about such things. It was just a bad dream, nothing more."

"You...looked peaceful, and content though, when I got you to calm down." She glanced away. His lips had parted against her neck, and although his mumbling continued, it wasn't an unpleasant feeling.

Neji stilled a moment. She said he had calmed, but didn't say how. "What did you do to calm me?"

"Nothing much...just tried to breathe slow and deeply."

"I see." Neji frowned a bit, hand holding the tea cup. He was slightly mortified.

"Your...hair got in the way, and when I pushed it back...um...you calmed down a lot...from the contact...I guess." She hastily took a sip of her tea. Tenten knew she didn't have to tell him that, but felt like it slipped out before she could stop it.

Neji's cheeks took on a pinkish tint. "I see." He nervously cleared his throat. He didn't need her knowing he enjoyed having his hair played with.

"You calmed down the more I did it so...uh..." She downed her tea and made every attempt she could to not look at him.

"You played with my hair while I was sleeping?" Neji smirked, deciding to turn the tables. "Is this a fetish I should know about?"

Tenten caught him in the act. She knew his game. "I dunno, I was doing it to calm you down, but is there something I should know about? I mean...you moaned when I did it..."

"Nothing I can think of." His blush darkened and he couldn't make eye contact.

Tenten sipped her tea triumphantly. "Nothing? Why are you blushing then?"

"Am I? I must just be thinking dirty thoughts about you."

"What?" She glanced at him. Neji, thinking dirty thoughts??

He smirked. "You should prepare for the vacation Amaya." He replied standing with his dishes.

She glanced at him out of the corner of her eye. "So should you...I don't think you really know what you're in for..."

_"_I think I can handle whatever you plan on showing me."

Tenten smirked to herself._ Lee thought so too, Neji._

"Don't be so confident Amaya. I can take it."

"We'll see in a few days..." She said softly. She knew he was not only curious, but almost on edge about what she'd be showing him. He felt the need to tell her not to be so confident. Neji only did that when he wasn't so confident that he'd be able to handle a situation.

"You sound like you have a particularly dirty secret hidden up your sleeve Amaya. Remember, this is so I can train as well as getting away from the village."

"You'll get in plenty of training Tsubasa." She smiled and laughed._ Maybe more than you bargained for Neji..._

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AN: AHA wow thats a lot of reviews to that last chapter... note to self: fake sex equals reviews, forward this note to Kigen. Well, it's been two weeks you've all been patient! Here you go!! Kigen and I hope it continues you amuse you all hehe.

Next update is in two weeks! Till then!


	12. Chapter 12

**Disillusioned**

By: Faraway Dawn & Kigen

Disclaimer: We don't own anything. But we are putting Kishimoto's characters to great use!

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Chapter 12

Three days passed quickly. Tenten had taken her time to gather her scrolls and put together her clothes for training with Neji's. They agreed, it would probably be safer to change clothes there, than go wearing their clothes. Tenten in particular would arouse a good deal of suspicion. "I'm ready when you are." She said closing the pack. She had Taiki's note of approval incase they were stopped at the village gates. "His directions are easy enough to follow, it shouldn't be too hard to find."

"Lead the way." Neji picked up the pack that held their lunch and clothing, shouldering it as they set about their way.

They went through town quickly enough, as expected they were stopped, but the chuunin at the gates seemed entirely satisfied with the note, much to Tenten's relief. The area Taiki's note mentioned was in a large bamboo thicket on a lower slope of the mountain that flattened out into forests before another steep drop. It was a bit of a walk, and it took nearly an hour and a half to reach to woods, but the thicket wasn't too far in.

It was secluded, there was no chakra in the area. "We're...alone out here." She said more in relief than surprise.

"Yes," Neji unwrapped his eyes, happy to be blindfold free for a bit. "the trek back will be difficult," he muttered, thinking of the loose, crumply path they had followed down. "but it's nice for now."

Tenten walked around for a few minutes. It was a large space, clearly used for training at times. There were various bamboo shoots that had been broken, as well as some scarred by weapons. "Who's changing first?" She said glancing over her shoulder while tying her hair up into her standard two buns. It was much easier to fight with her hair out of the way. Neji already had his back to her and was changing out of his clothes.

"I guess that answers my question." She grabbed her things out of the bag and changed quickly.

"It's not like it matters. We've seen each other in less than dressed situations." Neji tied back his hair.

"Neji, you've caught glances of me at the most." Tenten answered looking over her various scrolls. The ones her father added were eating at her curiosity. She had no idea what kind of weapons they contained. Soft light pierced the glade through the bamboo leaves and shoots. It was the perfect area for training. It would be soothing, and she needed something soothing.

"I've seen you in your underwear. Are you telling me you took those off as well?"

"You've seen me in my underwear in the dark." She countered. "Maybe you haven't noticed, but it's broad daylight." She opened the scroll and looked it over. A katana summoning, naginata summoning, and a few she didn't know. From what she knew, they looked like a wide area projectile summoning. One didn't even look like a summoning, just a long list of instructions. She wasn't unnerved that he had seen her in so little, actually, she kind of liked that thought.

"I've seen you in your underwear in the light. You were a bit foggy when you opened the door the day after that one mission."

She looked over her shoulder at him. "I don't remember that at all..." She was a bit red in the face.

"You were on some kind of pain killer. I put you back to bed and left."

"Oh...hehe. Must've been a bad mission then." She rolled up the scrolls. She could always mess with those later.

"You were bandaged up pretty well. I imagine it was."

"Sounds like you got a decent look at me." She stood and stretched. "So this is your training, what do you want to do?" Neji usually called the shots in training.

"Some sparring to get back into the habit. We'll figure it out from there." He answered looking around. There'd be enough continuous light in the woods to allow them to train until late in the day.

"Strictly taijutsu?" She asked stretching out her wrists and arms before sliding into her loose defensive stance. She took her usual stance to throw him off. He was expecting that she had merely improved on her taijutsu, so he wouldn't be looking for striking differences right away. She would slowly adapt her stances when the situations called for it.

"If you like. No weapons for now." He stretched, taking his own stance.

She nodded to him to tell him she understood, before lifting her hand to wave him on. "First strike is yours, it was mine last time."

Neji nodded, and in a flash, his hand jabbed at her chest.

Tenten smirked. It was a standard Neji opening attack. Her right foot slid back in a circular motion turning her body away from the direct line of attack. Her left hand, palm open, rather than tightly closed, directed his hand to the side before her right hand made to strike near his shoulder.

Neji blocked, frowning as he stepped away. The stance was eerily familiar. Pushing it to the back of his mind, he attacked again.

Tenten slid her foot back to avoid most of the strike. She couldn't dodge or block it entirely, not if she wanted to land one of her own. She took the hit to her side to land three hits to pressure points in his left arm. His left arm would be slower, and sore for some time, and she could use it to her advantage. She knew there was no chakra released in his strike, or she would have been severely injured from the blow he landed.

He spun swiftly, landed a kick, and stepped away with a curse. "You're mimicking me."

Tenten smirked. Her stance identical to his. "Took Lee a lot longer to notice."

"It's easier when it's my own taijutsu. How long have you been mimicking my stances?" His eyes traveled to her footing and back to her posture. She had moved exactly like him…down to his very stances, and for some reason when she took her initial defensive stance, he had missed it.

"A few years, little by little." Maybe he hadn't noticed yet, but even her strikes were similar. Without the byakugan she would never be able to land strikes to the chakra network, she couldn't seal off someone's chakra, or brutally ravage their internal organs the way a Hyuuga could, but she could severely disable someone easily with well placed strikes to pressure points. "You're a more cautious fighter than Lee, I had him disabled pretty quickly. I managed to numb his legs for a few minutes." She nodded to Neji's waist. "A specific pressure point in the waist almost entirely numbs the legs, which nullifies his speed advantage over me." She remained in the defensive stance. "I remember you telling me once to aim for pressure points when I had to resort to taijutsu."

Neji smirked, "I must admit I'm impressed Tenten. I wasn't expecting this." He had never seen much of her taijutsu unless weapons were involved. "You said you learned it little by little over the past few years. How long specifically?"

Tenten thought about it. It hadn't been long, though she had been watching him fight for years, and always admired the kind of fluid grace he moved with, she hadn't attempted it for herself until after she had become a jounin. "Two years. Around the I became a jounin." She wouldn't admit it, but it had saved her life once or twice. Those twenty or so jounin she had managed to kill wouldn't have gone down so easily without a few well placed hits to pressure points, they were attacks that gave her time to get out of range and bombard them with projectiles.

"You've gotten this good in only two years?" To say he was surprised was an understatement. "Come over here Tenten."

"I've been watching you a lot longer than that." She straightened and went over to him. "Two years of practice, a lot more of observation."

"I know that. If you're going to mimic my stances, you're going to do them right. Now, take the first stance again."

Tenten obeyed and took his defensive stance. She let her legs bend at the knee and slid one back behind her, while the other slid forward. Her left arm raised to guard her and her right hovered at her side, prepared to guard or strike as needed.

"You need to adjust your stance. Move your arm to the left." Neji commanded, watching Tenten.

Tenten adjusted her arm, looking to Neji. "Like this?" She asked the young prodigy.

"No." Heaving a mental sigh, Neji took a spot behind Tenten. "Like this." He leaned closer so he could grasp her wrist in his hand and with a gentle touch, he guided it into the correct position. "Holding your arm like this," He spoke, standing close enough that Tenten could feel his body heat against her back. "guards your body better."

"I see." Tenten was embarrassed she had to use her training in emotions to keep from shivering, but it didn't stop a few goose bumps from spreading over her flesh.

"Spread your legs."

Even her training could not keep her from jumping and turning red. "What?" She gasped.

"Spread your legs and widen your stance." He raised an eyebrow. Why would such an ordinary command make her react like that? It wasn't like he had never said anything to the same effect before in training.

"Oh..." She swallowed.

"What are you thinking?" He leaned closer, his words next to her ear.

"Nothing." Tenten took a deep breath, pushing immoral thoughts from her mind.

"Then why did your pulse increase as though you're lying?" The voice was at her ear now.

"Why are you teaching me this anyways?"

"I won't allow myself a weak teammate."

"Yeah…yeah, but why are you teaching me your clan's technique?"

"Because you know enough of it to imitate me, and you may as well imitate me correctly." Neji explained. It was a simple reason. "Now, spread you legs and lean forward a bit."

Knowing her face was deep red, she took a deep breath as did as she was told.

"No, bend over more at your waist." He heaved another mental sigh and stepped forward so his chest was molded against her back. "Lean forward like this." He nestled his head next to hers, since there was nowhere else to put it, making their cheeks brush lightly. His arms guided her into position, as his knee nudged her left leg into line. "When you stand like this." He explained softly, not moving. "It's easier to transition between stances and switch from guarding to attacking."

Tenten stiffened, doing her best not to tremble. Standing with their bodies touching so firmly, he'd be able to feel the slightest tremor. "You don't bend over this much when you fight." She mumbled, wondering if he could feel her heart trying to beat out of her chest.

"You're shorter than I am, and need to spread yourself further to compensate for it."

"Oh." She gulped, wondering why he hadn't moved away yet.

"Now, extend your right arm while moving your leg to the side." Still holding Tenten's body in position, he moved her through a simple kata. "Relax your muscles. Your body is too stiff."

"I'm trying not to mess up." She gritted through her teeth. Didn't he realize, with each shift his crotch would grind into her ass?!

"If you don't make your body more pliable, then you will mess up." He nudged her inner thigh. "Now, again."

Tenten took a shuddering breath, unable to keep in her slight tremors as Neji forced her body into the same kata, his arms warm around hers, his breathing hot against her cheek.

"You're shaking Tenten." Neji frowned, distracting himself from her movements.

"I'm not." She said, jerking a bit too far in one movement. He gave her a look as if to say 'I'm not an idiot' out of the corner of his eye.

"If you're going to lie, at least come up with a decent excuse."

Tenten almost whimpered at the loss of his body as he stepped away. "And if I have no excuse?" Tenten asked, sending him a challenging look.

"Then I want the truth."

Tenten mentally panicked, before a small smirk that looked absolutely evil, appeared on her face. "Fine, I will... if you force me to." With a grin, she took off.

Neji allowed himself a surprised blink before taking off after Tenten.

They both were unfamiliar with these training grounds, so Tenten couldn't even use her knowledge of the area to gain any ground.

However, Tenten had one advantage over Neji. Yes, the Hyuuga heir was strong, fast, and quick to react, but Tenten was smaller and much, much more flexible.

To be fair, Neji wasn't giving it his all, after all, what fun would that be? However, Neji was human, and to be human is to error. So it was very much a surprise to him when his momentum carried him past Tenten and right into a shallow riverbank.

Covering her mouth, Tenten tried her best to keep in her laughter, though she couldn't stop the trembling of her shoulders. Neji glared at her, pulling a damp weed from his muddy hair. His impeccable white clothing was dirty with the mud and muck.

It was too much. Tenten fell to her knees, laughing hysterically.

"You will never speak of this again Tenten." He growled, standing up.

"But-but-but.." She choked up with another fit of laughter. "You looked like a drowned cat!" She giggled, unable to stop herself.

Neji made an unhappy grunt, pulling out another weed, this time from the inside of his shirt. "I'm filthy." he muttered.

"Mud'll do that to you." Tenten straightened, wiping dirt from her own knees.

Neji just tsked again, wringing out his hair, that was now snarled and clumped. His clothes, thankfully heavy enough not to be see through when wet, clung and stuck to his body uncomfortably. Another frog popped out, this time from the sagging material at his waist. A muscle in Neji's cheek twitched violently.

Swearing in his mind, he yanked off his shirt and the material at his waist, making sure the rest of his clothing was frog free.

Tenten giggled again as a frog hopped out of Neji's pants at the leg but her breath caught when she looked up again. Quickly she turned her gasp into a cough, turning around to hide her reddening face… and just when she thought she didn't have to worry about staining her pants along with her already ruined panties.

Because, despite the fact that his hair was a mess, and not anything like wild 'I-just-had-sex' mess, and wet… and that his bare torso was covered with grime, he looked ridiculously attractive…and when he bent over, the wet fabric clung to his ass and…and she was mentally rambling to herself.

Taking a calming breath Neji turned back to Tenten, bristling slightly. She had turned red in the face from laughing, to the point where she was gasping.

"If you have the energy to laugh, then you have the energy to continue training." He turned and started back to where they started out.

"But-" Tenten started, the flush spreading down her neck and to her ears.

"Now, Tenten. We're going to practice the katas until you're too tired to move." Hearing Tenten sputter, he shot her an almost glare. "Now, Tenten. Or would you prefer we do it here?" He spat. "I promise you, by the time I'm through with you, you'll be sore in places you didn't know you had."

Tenten stood up straighter. "C-coming!"

Neji didn't pay Tenten any attention as he ran through the trees, his wet clothes irritating his skin and making him uncomfortable, though he would never admit it aloud he hated wet shoes.

Tenten followed, trying to keep her eyes anywhere but on Neji. Because by the gods, those fucking pants clung to every curve of his ass as he ran!

Once they were at the main clearing, he picked up his discarded bag. Having no other shirt to put on, he merely spread it on a branch to dry. Next, he shucked off his pants. As if the pants didn't cling enough…

"You can stop laughing now." He glared at Tenten, completely misinterpreting her coughs and gasps.

"Not laughing." Tenten turned her head to the side, she swore her face was on fire. Was Neji completely unaware that he was standing wet and naked in nothing but boxers? Oh god they were white, fuck if he turned around she'd be able to see his…

"Tenten!"

"I'm here!" She jerked. Did she smell smoke? She could definitely smell smoke.

"Are you feeling alright?" He lifted a brow, looking at her oddly.

"Fine!' She squeaked. _Don't look down don't look down don't look down…_Clearing her throat, she managed just a slightly more dignified "I'm fine."

"Your face has been flushed all day, and your voice has reached octaves that would cause Kiba's ears to bleed."

Neji lifted his arm to block the blow from Tenten's leg.

"Liar." She pouted, the red was starting to fade, and was replaced by a more stern glint in her eyes.

Neji smirked internally as he began to trade blows with Tenten. If this was what she needed to blow off steam and focus again he would be more then willing to trade blows. If that would get her head clear and ready to train again, they'd spar. Even if it meant sparring in his underwear, he wondered in the back of his mind when Tenten would notice so he could put his pants back on…it wasn't very becoming to fight in one's underwear.

After burning off her initial frustration and embarrassment Tenten found herself falling into routine. Neji dodged most of her attacks, rather than blocking them like he usually did, something he didn't often do as he could more easily block than dodge.

So, Neji was in the mood for a long, draining session was he? Who was Tenten not to make sure he would be unable to move as well? However, after a few minutes she had to admit, it was starting to get annoying.

Neji wasn't taking this seriously, just playing around… That, was another thing she had to fix. She could have just brought weapons into the mix but that wouldn't be as fun. Granted, Neji probably wouldn't take her words as perversely as she had taken his oh so 'innocent' instructions but that didn't mean she couldn't try…

"Come on Neji, stop playing around." She smirked, ducking under his kick. "Or maybe you like fighting in your underwear?" She smirked, blocking a strike to her right shoulder.

"You're the one who attacked me before I could finish changing Tenten." He responded blandly.

"But if you really wanted to put them on, you could have at least twice by now." She ducked, managing to stand behind Neji before a spin caused her to jump away.

"And what are you implying?" He asked.

"That you like fighting half naked?" She asked innocently.

"I assure you I do not."

"Maybe you're just hoping to distract me then."

"Are you saying that my nudity is distracting you?"

"…" Tenten wished he wouldn't turn her attempts at mind games against her. "No... just the fact you haven't realized that your boxers are see through yet." _Ha-ha take that Neji!_

An eyebrow quirked. "So, I am distracting you then?"

"At least I know the hair isn't compensating for anything." Tenten smirked. She applauded herself. At least she had gotten him to turn slightly pink in the cheeks, he didn't even stumble damnit! "You still haven't put your pants on."

"You still keep trying not to look anywhere but my face."

It was Tenten's turn to turn red. "I'm not-" A swift take down had her on her knees and Neji was tying his pants at the waist.

"You weren't, but if you're going to try and catch me off guard with stupid comments, I will do the same." The pants he wore now were dark gray, and tight around the thighs, though they grew a bit loose around his calves. "Now that my pants are on, do you think you can concentrate long enough to land a blow? Or do I need to go home and get a shirt as well?"

"I think I can control myself, Neji." Tenten crouched, ready to lunge. She just prayed that she could keep true to her words.

"Then I will do my best to do the same." He smirked, attacking her in full force.

He knew full well she'd be able to predict most of his attacks. Watching him long enough to imitate him gave her knowledge even a Sharingan user would be envious of.

As expected, she threw her guard and blocked his first strikes with ease, countering with her own. Her attacks were swift and accurate and he wouldn't deny that for mimicking his fighting, she wasn't half bad at it. One, two, three… consecutive strikes. He blocked each one with ease recalling that all her strikes were aimed at vital pressure points. He didn't bother to contain the smirk tugging at his lips. She couldn't strike his chakra points, so she'd strike something equally effective. It was almost pleasing to see she had taken his age old advice to heart.

Tenten's eyebrow twitched involuntarily when she noticed his slight smirk. He landed two hits perfectly. Her arm felt slightly numb for a second. She managed to block the others, having trained with him for years made her aware that even though he was attacking at full strength, he still was not releasing chakra with his strikes.

"You're holding back." She growled throwing a hard roundhouse kick at him.

"So are you." He caught her leg. His eyes pierced through her. Even without him speaking she got the message. _I know you're faster than this._

"Hmph. Fine…" He released her leg to block her counter with her other leg. Four, five, then six consecutive strikes.

She recognized that smirk. If she kept this up, maybe she'd get him to break a sweat.

He dodged and countered. He even blocked some and then countered just to throw her pace off. He retained his cool, calm, collected demeanor, and she found herself enjoying the thrill of trying to keep pace with him. It had been far too long since they sparred like this. They continued their dance of strikes and guards for a few minutes. Neji upped the pace and Tenten followed suit.

She admired how he had changed. Neji had always had a bad habit of underestimating his opponents in their youth. He no longer took such chances, even with her. In an odd way it was flattering. Perhaps it had really been too long because she lost track of what he was doing. He caught her hand in his own and her eyes widened slightly.

"Now..." Neji had Tenten pinned to the ground a few seconds later, both panting and tired. "As much fun as this has been, it's time to keep my promise of making sure you won't be able to move tomorrow." He leaned down, unbound hair falling and trailing along Tenten's neck as the boy panted. "Take a breath and relax. You can't tense up for what I'm about to do to you."

"Wha-wha." Tenten stuttered, trying to get enough blood out of her cheeks and into her brain so she could speak a coherent sentence.

"I still need to finish showing you the katas." He stood, pulling the hair back from his face.

Tenten cursed in her mind, standing up and scolding herself. Of course that's what Neji meant. She was starting to wonder if he was teasing her on purpose or if he was really that frigid.

"Now, show me the position from before."

Tenten did, her cheeks red again, remembering how Neji stood, plastered against her back, his body caressing hers, albeit unintentionally as they shifted positions.

"Good." He shifted back to lean against a tree. "Now, go through the katas I showed you earlier."

Blushing wildly, Tenten did as she was told, performing each stance flawlessly. "Satisfied?" Tenten smiled, certain she had gotten it.

"No. Your movements need to be more fluid between stances."

"I'm being fluid." Tenten argued.

"Not fluid enough." He stood behind her once more, guiding her through the motions. "You should not be able to pinpoint the space between the stances. Each step should be a continuation of the one that came before it." He guided her body slowly, his bare hands brushing against her bare arms.

"Can you feel me Tenten?" His hand slid down her arm as he moved it. "How my movements don't stop, just shift from one position to the next?"

"Yea-yeah." She breathed, leaning back into the touch.

"Good. Now move with me. Feel my body and react to it."

"Ne-Neji." Tenten shivered, but did as he said. Her body didn't mimic, rather it followed Neji's. As they moved around, Tenten couldn't help but feel like they were doing some strange dance.

"Are you okay Tenten? You're panting hard, and your pulse is erratic. This isn't that stressful for you, is it?"

"I'm fine." Tenten gritted through her teeth, "But can you remove your knee from my ass?"

He shifted his knee, so it rested against her inner thigh instead. "I've moved my leg, but you're still breathing so heavily."

"I'm focusing on the kata, it takes a finer muscle control then I'm used to." She panted, moving along with him.

"That sounds like an excuse Tenten."

"Tell me what you want to hear Neji, and I just might say it." Tenten stepped away, facing Neji.

"Tell me you want more, that I'm not finished with you yet." Neji stepped forward, making Tenten back away.

"You want more Neji. I'm not finished with you yet." Tenten smirked, moving to the side.

"Trying to be difficult, aren't you Tenten?"

"I have no idea what you're talking about."

"You're lying again Tenten."

"You're just upset because you can't figure it out on your own."

"Who said I was upset?"

"I've known you long enough to know when something is annoying you Neji." She smirked, drawing a kunai. If Neji was going to torture her and ruin her panties, then she was just going to have to up the ante.

"Drawing a weapon? I told you we were going to practice the katas."

"If my panting bothers you so much, I might as well do something to relieve myself." She drew a few more kunai. "Let me see your kaiten in action."

"How are you going to learn anything by practicing your aim?"

"Learning is learning, and what better way than through some practical application?

"You have something planned." Neji's eyes narrowed slightly.

"Then why don't you come at me and find out what it is?"

It was a flash, and Tenten had to jump out of the way to dodge Neji's kick he spun, deflecting her weapons, and Tenten just barely dodged the edge of two kunai. When Neji turned his gaze back to her, he would see the bottom half of her shirt hanging open, and the one of the legs of her pants nearly cut off.

"You aren't fighting at your full strength." He muttered glancing at the torn clothes she wore. Tenten could have easily avoided the deflected weapons.

"Neither are you, Neji."

"What are you playing at Tenten?" Neji's eyes gazed over her clothing, she had purposely let him ruin her clothing, but why would she do something like that?

"A ninja never reveals her mission to the enemy."

"A good ninja will find his enemy's objective, though any means necessary."

"Are you going to torture me Neji? Interrogate me until I beg for release?"

"Beg? I'll work you over until you scream for mercy."

"You think you can make me scream?" Tenten started to circle him, her clothes caressing her flesh and flashing bits of her inner thigh, even her belly button as she walked.

"I can make you scream, whimper, even cry if I were to choose." Neji's hard muscles slid beneath his skin as he stalked Tenten, his pearl eyes trained on her like a predator about to lunge at his prey.

Tenten's breath caught in her throat, and she had to cough to clear it. "And why would you make me want to do those things?"

"I have to find out the objective of your mission, don't I?" He smirked, "And since you aren't keen on telling me, I'll just have to force it out."

"You won't be able to force it out of me, Neji."

"We'll see about that." Neji broke the circle to lunge at Tenten, reaching out to grab her. He only meant to grab her arm, pin her to a tree or to the ground…he didn't mean for her to subtly shift at the last second, expose a freckle he didn't know she had on her thigh to him and for him to grab her shirt instead, ripping the bottom half away.

"Performing a strip search now?" She teased jumping away, the shirt was ripped an inch above her belly button, revealing more flesh then she was used to bearing, but not minding. Neji's cheeks had a twinge of pink to them, and if it cost her an outfit, it was a small price to pay.

"Are you suggesting that you're hiding something I should find?" Neji cocked an eyebrow.

"I'm not suggesting anything." Tenten smiled innocently.

"Then what are you doing Tenten?" He asked, his breath coming a bit more heavily than it normally would. He refused to admit it was because of seeing skin he had already seen, that he was seeing now. She slept next to him, in pajama shorts and a light tank top. This was nothing he hadn't seen before.

His thoughts, however, began to wander, to other bits of Tenten's skin. Thoughts that slowly grew more and more obscene with each passing thought…He mentally jerked himself out of such thoughts willing the red in his cheeks to subside. He forced himself into a familiar string of interior monologue. _Tenten is my teammate, best friend, and partner, a shinobi should never allow their emotions to get the better of them, if they are fool enough to allow that much emotion they shouldn't be shinobi._ He was a Hyuuga. He was on a mission, and he would not have day dreams like an adolescent boy. "Enough playing. You still have yet to master the kata." Neji stood up straight, dismissing their game and his wayward thoughts.

"Ninja don't give up." Tenten smirked, knowing she'd won.

"We're not ninja, we're a young married couple new to the area." Neji smirked, appearing behind Tenten, locking his arms around her waist and holding her still. "Besides, if we were ninja, I'd be able to do anything to you right now."

"And what would you do?" Tenten leaned back into the hold, looking up at him.

"What does it matter? We're not ninja." He smirked, pulling into the stance. "It's getting late, we'll go through the motions once more, then head back."

"You're no fun." Tenten pouted, before following. They went through the stances, Tenten moving along with Neji, though smirking this time. "Hey Neji, why's your pulse so fast?"

"Don't distract yourself Tenten."

"You're breathing heavier too Neji." She smirked, oh so glad the tables were turned.

Neji was silent, shifting to the next stance.

"No response Neji?"

"Unlike you, I won't make excuses for why I have something as meaningless as shortened breath."

"Oh? Then why didn't you leave me alone when my breath was labored?"

"Because we had barely done anything, and there was no reason for you to be panting already." Of course, that was if Neji ignored the fact she was obviously aroused during the fight, it seemed that crush she had on him when they were kids had yet to completely die.

"And you have a reason?" Tenten leaned back.

Neji could look down her shirt if he just shifted his head to the left a little…

"Unlike you, I didn't start breathing heavier until recently." He said, turning away from her body with the last stance's end. "Until after our fight, our chase, and more fighting." He murmured in her ear.

"I thought you didn't make excuses Neji." She smirked to herself. _Your breathing and pulse did not change once...until my clothes ripped, Neji. _

"I'm not. It's time to go Tenten. We have a mission to perform."

* * *

AN: I'm pretty sure I said two weeks...ahaha...well let's face it, it was worth it for me to cave and update in one week. Uh so two weeks again ahaha if I don't cave again. Kigen is telling me I have absolutely no willpower XD


	13. Chapter 13

**Disillusioned**

By: Faraway Dawn & Kigen

Disclaimer: We don't own anything. But we are putting Kishimoto's characters to great use!

* * *

**Chapter 13**

The trek back to the village was long and tedious, and there was a bit of a squabble with the guard at the front post. "I apologize for our lateness, but we simply lost track of time."

The guard sighed in frustration. "I understand Taiki gave you permission to train outside the village, but you were instructed to be back at sunset." The man eyed the pair. The young man, Tsubasa, looked as though he had a rough day.

"It is sunset..." Tenten mumbled under her breath, nodding toward the sun setting to the far west. It hadn't even completely sunk from view yet.

"It has been a while since I've exerted myself to such an extent. That, and as my wife says it is still sunset, unless she's lying?" Neji challenged the guard. He was supposedly blind; it wouldn't be too much of a stretch if they were a few minutes past sunset because of it.

"Well, it is sunset but-"

"Then there should be nothing to be concerned about." A voice called from behind the guard. Taiki walked over to the village entrance. "I see you two found the training areas easily enough." His pale blue eyes scanned the horizon. "And you returned just in time." The sun had not yet slipped from view, it painted a sea of clouds in shades of red and orange, and bathed the mountainside in warm light.

"Yes, we did. Thank you very much Taiki-san. It was a nice escape for a day." Neji gave him a small smile, his arm around Tenten's waist.

"I hope the paths weren't too much trouble, I had forgotten to write down the alternate route there." He held out a few notes for Amaya to take. "I haven't been out there in a while myself, I had forgotten how bad the mountain side path was getting."

"It wasn't bad," Neji assured him. "Just took a bit longer then we originally planned."

"Good to know." Taiki turned his gaze to the guard. "Well that settles things then? Let them through, I'm sure they'd like to get home and rest."

"Eh...V-Very well." The guard answered reluctantly. Taiki outranked him a bit, there was not much he could do in the matter. He stepped aside and let the two pass.

"Thank you again Taiki-san." Neji said before walking with Tenten through the village.

Tenten waited until they got closer to their home. "He's really too kind..." She said glancing over her shoulder toward the village gates. The dusty blond chuunin always seemed to be going out of his way to assist them, and while it was better than the majority of the shinobi being suspicious of them, even she felt he was far too kind and trusting.

"He's probably testing us." Neji said. "Either that, or he's truly thankful for me taking Nobaru's interests."

"He's a lot like you I think..." She said opening the door slowly.

"How so?" Neji asked. He couldn't see any similarities between the two of them.

Tenten shut the door behind them. "He feels alone in the world. You can see it in his eyes. If anyone bothered to try to know you when you were younger, they'd have seen it in your eyes too."

"Let's offer him to Nobaru then." Neji stepped into the kitchen, trying to ignore the words. He didn't like remembering how alone he was as a child.

"I think he'd prefer you."

"Enough with the virgin sacrifice jokes." Neji muttered, beginning the process of making dinner.

Tenten blinked. _Virgin sacrifice??? Neji's a... _"You're a virgin?" She stared at him in shock.

"Of course I am. What else would I be?" He had never had a girlfriend, and Tenten knew it. "Don't tell me you believed those rumors about me and Shikamaru."

She raised an eyebrow. Sure he was frigid as hell, and had never had a girlfriend but still...she blinked a few more times. "Of…course I didn't, but you...seriously...you're a..."

"A virgin."

"...Wow." She muttered.

"Are you alright?" Neji never saw her so floored by anything before.

"Yeah just...surprised."

"Why is that surprising?" He thought she knew he wasn't the type for one night stands.

"You're drop dead gorgeous." She said before she could stop herself. "I'm just amazed you haven't been molested or something on a mission..."

"I've been groped, if that's what you're referring to. I've never been tied down and deflowered or whatever other thoughts you're entertaining in your head."

Tenten looked away. "Y-Yeah well obviously not if you're a virgin."

"I still don't see what's so surprising about that. I mean, am I wrong to assume you are as well?"

"I...Yeah I am." She blushed and looked away. "I'm not really the kind of girl guys make moves on. Not saying I didn't have a few close calls on missions..."

"I thought you were." He ignored the part about the missions. He had already known about that. "Besides, you are certainly beautiful enough for a man to pursue..."

Tenten glanced at him. Beautiful? Did he really just say she was... "So you knew I was a virgin…how?"

"Because you've never had a boyfriend before, and you aren't the type for one night stands any more than I am."

Tenten kept her eyes focused on a spot on the wall. There wasn't a virgin left among the rookie nine, even on their own team, she and Neji were the only ones left. She rolled her eyes. "You and I are the only ones out of our friends who are virgins, even Lee isn't."

"I am well aware. Lee gossips more than a woman if the topic's 'youthful' enough." Neji muttered dryly.

Tenten smiled. "Yeah...I miss him. He was always like a goofy brother to me." She sat down on the couch.

"We were quite the dysfunctional family when we got together, weren't we?" He asked. "I'm still wondering when I'm going to become an honorary uncle."

"We were..." Tenten answered leaning back into the soft couch. "It was nice though..." She thought back to their days as a team. Lee challenged Neji almost every day. She'd try to dissuade Lee and never succeeded. She'd watch Lee lose, as usual, and be left in awe of Neji's skill. "He really might make you an honorary uncle too you know."

"I'm still waiting for him to come kidnap me to be his best man. He was planning on asking Sakura to marry him when we left."

Tenten turned to look at Neji. "He didn't tell me that."

"He didn't tell anyone. He's been nervous. He's had the ring for months now." Neji smirked. "It's odd though, him being nervous, isn't it?"

"It is...I always pictured him as fearless. I mean, really his clothes...you kinda have to be fearless to wear that."

"He's scared he might lose her. Even the bravest fear that."

Tenten nodded in agreement. Yes, even the bravest would fear losing someone they loved. "I'd ask you if you'd ever felt fear like that, but I know you'd smack me upside the head for asking such an obvious question." She knew what it was Neji lived with, she knew the kind of power his family held over him, and she knew, that even if he didn't let it show, he did fear it. "Besides!" She announced to clear the air a bit. "You need one hell of a shower..." She nodded to him. His hair had dried mud in it. "And your clothes...heh...I can try to get the stains out for you."

"If you can't clean them, we'll just get new ones," Neji stripped off his shirt, heading for the bathroom. "and yes Amaya, I would smack you for asking such a question."

Tenten smiled slightly and picked up his shirt. It was pretty filthy, but her cleaning skills were top notch, even if her cooking wasn't. It'd be so weird, if Neji was actually worried about losing someone he was in love with..._ha oh that's rich, Neji in love_. She rose slowly from the couch and took his shirt to wash. He'd probably take a long shower, he did have a lot of mud in his hair. She smirked, oh it had been so worth it.

Neji came out of the shower almost an hour cursing. "I swear I'm just going to cut it all off." He grumbled, not paying Tenten any mind as he dressed.

"Still haven't gotten all the mud out?" She resorted to hand washing his shirt, and remarkably, had gotten most of the mud out. She was willing to go at it for another half hour or so, if it wasn't white after that, he would need to get a new shirt. She threw a glance over her shoulder at him.

"I got it all out. It just took half a bottle of shampoo and nearly a full one of conditioner." He sat, still drying said hair. "You can go now if you like. The water's still hot."

Tenten tried not to laugh. She tried very hard, but it was so hard to contain laughter about certain things.

"Laugh and I'm burning your dinner." Neji warned.

"You're a perfectionist, it would kill you to burn food knowing I'd tell everyone you burned something." She smirked. Neji used more shampoo and conditioner than Ino.

"Poison then." He muttered.

"You wouldn't..."

"Not a lethal poison."

Tenten turned. "If not a lethal poison, what would the point of poisoning me be?" Poisons left the body feverish, weak, and shaky. Sometimes it caused pain that would cause the victim to cry out softly…

"Not a poison that would hurt." Neji smirked and leaned close to her. "What if it simply made you hot and eager. Though, I suppose poison would be the wrong word for that kind of drug."

Tenten raised an eyebrow. "An aphrodisiac???" Neji wasn't that twisted was he? Tenten had to wonder how he'd handle her on one. His control over himself was almost disturbing, would he lose control? She turned a bit red. _Would he...want...me? _"Oh, yeah right. Like you'd actually do that." She tried to laugh and looked away.

"It'd be tempting. Seeing you squirm and blush like that, and unable to stop it…"

Tenten blushed and found herself unsure of who was talking at that moment. Was this Neji? Was he saying it to her? To Tenten? Or was this Tsubasa saying this to his wife, to Amaya? "I don't think you could handle it." She muttered.

"You're saying that because you can't handle it."

He was right about that. She couldn't handle it. The mere thoughts of it were running her brain into an overload. It wasn't like she needed and aphrodisiac to be in a similar state. All he had to do was put his hands on her in a few simple places and she'd be squirming and blushing uncontrollably. To top it off, it wouldn't be a matter of being unable to stop it, and more a matter of not wanting to stop it. "You're only pointing that out because you know you can't either."

"Shall we make a bet then?"

"I didn't know you were into gambling." She said nervously.

"Nervous?" He asked, chuckling.

"A bit..." Now she really had no idea who was talking. It sounded like Neji...but it sounded like Tsubasa also.

"If you want, we could call it off."

"I don't even know what kind of a bet you want to make." Damn curiosity, damn it to hell.

"Afraid to find out?"

_Yes. _"No." She crossed her arms defiantly. Damn him, he was the only one who could bait her into accepting a challenge.

"And what do I get if I win?" He smirked, leaning back.

She shrugged. "What do you want?" She eyed that smirk. Damn that also while she was damning everything else.

"There's not much you can give me that I can't already get." He leaned back, an evil smirk on his lips. "I could have you kiss Nobaru. It'd hopefully scare him away from us.

Tenten stared at Neji in horror. KISS NOBARU?!! "Hell no. You've got another thing coming if you think I'm going to kiss him." She lowered her voice to an almost vicious whisper. "Yeah that makes me look like the perfect wife, kissing another man."

"I was joking." Neji sighed. "Do you think I'm honestly cruel enough to make you do something that vile?

_Yes. _"Since when do you have a sense of humor? You know, that thing required for joking?"

"I thought I always have Amaya." His smirk widened. "Or are you just that nervous?"

Tenten looked away. While it was usually difficult for Neji to annoy her, today, he'd done it. _Really of all the sick jokes. That Nobaru would probably throw me off a mountain if he got the chance. _"I'd rather you put me on an aphrodisiac than ever make a joke like that again."

"I'll keep that in mind."

"But you won't." She smirked a bit at his words. "I know you can't handle it. There's only so long a man can go with a woman writhing and moaning, begging for him, before he snaps and gives in. I don't care how strong you are..." She got up slowly and stretched. "...You're still a man. Even if you are usually an honorable one." Tenten headed for the bathroom without another word. She needed a shower...a cold one.

Neji started at the spot Tenten had been for a few long moments, before snapping his mouth shut. _Well damn, _he couldn't help but think, he hadn't been expecting a response like that.

In the bathroom, Tenten ran the water, making sure it was cool. She knew it would have little effect on her heated mind, but, it would help calm her down physically. She shed her clothes and stepped into the cool spray.

_Damn him!! Ngh, gods why does Neji have to be so damn…Neji. _She washed her hair slowly and stared at the tiled wall. _I don't even feel twenty-one, I feel like a horny sixteen year old who just saw her boyfriend with his shirt off beckoning her closer. No amount of 'emotional training' helps, no experience from missions can help me. What did I do to deserve this?! I don't even know who's talking to me half the time anymore. Sometimes I can't tell if it's Neji or Tsubasa talking to me. I can't even tell who he is sometimes when he touches me. _

She washed herself slowly, not so much minding the chill of the water. _I stopped acting a good while ago…When I tell him I love him, it's not Amaya talking. It's me. When I smile at him, it's not Amaya smiling at Tsubasa. It's me, Tenten, smiling at Neji. If only…_

A bitter smile curved her lips under the water. "The saddest words in any language." She whispered turning off the water. "If only." Her shower didn't take half as long as his. She dried off and wrapped a towel around her, grabbing another towel for her hair before gathering up her clothes and heading back into the bedroom.

Neji was out of the bedroom by then, and was in the middle of cooking dinner. The house was filled with the smell of something sweet baking in the oven.

Tenten dressed slowly, instead of leaving her hair down, she pulled it up again into a pair of buns. She wouldn't go out into the kitchen just yet, so instead she sat down on his side of the bed they shared. Her fingers gripped the covers tightly before releasing them. "If only." She muttered smoothing out the blanket before standing and heading to the kitchen.

"Is my comment about Nobaru still bothering you? I told you I was joking." Neji said, noticing Tenten's mood when she entered. Taking a thick towel, he pulled a small cake out of the oven, setting it to the side to cool. It was a chocolate cinnamon cake, the kind Tenten loved.

"It's nothing." She lied with a smile when she noticed the cake. He knew her too well, from her favorite time of year to her favorite sweets. She couldn't think of anyone else in the world who knew her that well.

"Don't touch. It needs to cool before I can add the icing." He gestured to the bowl of glaze. At times he was embarrassed by his home making skills.

Tenten just nodded. He was so good at everything, sometimes it made her a bit jealous, not for long of course. It made her more envious of whoever would marry him. He could cook, he could clean, he was handsome, he was brilliant, he could fight, and he even had a bit of a silver tongue. If he couldn't fight his way out of any situation, she was sure he could talk his way out of most of them. "I promise I won't tell anyone you can cook as well as you can." She said glancing at him. Ino and Sakura would have a field day with information like that.

"I thought you liked pretending you baked the cake last time." He stirred the soup he was making.

"You insisted I take credit for it remember?" Ino and Sakura had been around. She at down at the table with her back to him. Training with him had a much greater effect on her hormones than she would have liked. Tenten ran her fingers through her bangs in frustration. She wanted his hands to do that. She wanted him close to her again like they had been in training. Training was never supposed to follow you home. _It's gonna be a long night..._

"Of course. Heaven help me if those two found out I could cook."

_Heaven help me get through this night without saying something stupid. _"It wouldn't be all that bad. They'd just force you to slave all day in a kitchen for them." Tenten chuckled. "In a pink frilly apron, if Ino had her say in the matter."

"Please. It'd be pink and lacy." He grumbled reducing the heat of the stove.

"Yeah but think about it, if that had happened, half the girls would have stopped hitting on you years ago."

"Then the boys would start." His answer elicited a small laugh from Tenten.

"Only a few of them, and you'd win in a straight fight with all of them."

He nodded, setting the table before going for the cake. With a soft curse, he spilled icing on his hands. "Damnit." Of course, all the towels were in the wash, so noting that Tenten had her back to him, he licked some of it off. He figured he'd get most of it off, and wash his hands before finishing the work.

Tenten glanced over her shoulder and blushed. _Damn him!! Is he TRYING to make me jump him?! Maybe he's just trying to ruin as many pairs of panties as possible until I have nothing left but the thongs. _She got up and went over to him. _Fine, two can play that game_. "So you do have your clumsy moments." She said taking his hand and bringing it to her own lips. She slid two of his fingers past her lips and sucked softly on them. Her eyes fell shut slowly. The icing was very sweet, but the look on his face would be so much sweeter.

Neji looked at her, shocked and a bit red, before clearing his throat and bringing his features to calmness. "Amaya? I believe I told you not to touch the dessert." His voice was a bit strained, but even.

"Mm?" She slowly withdrew his fingers. "You touched it first." She said innocently. She smiled as naturally as she normally would, pleased to see that she had some effect on him. "It tasted so sweet though." Internally there was an utterly wicked smile in the place of her innocent one.

"I touched it because I was making it." Neji almost sighed. "I swear, you did that on purpose to try and punish me."

"No...if I was trying to punish you it wouldn't have been your fingers." She turned and went back to the table laughing mentally.

"If you had went after that, the cake would've gotten cold."

"You wouldn't stop me then?" She wondered if this was how Neji felt when he was enjoying embarrassing her. It felt great...she felt smug as hell, but it felt great.

"Depends how hard you tried to get the frosting off."

Tenten had to bite her lip to keep back the smirk forming. Talking like this wasn't possible in Konoha, with no mission to fall back on as an excuse. "I'd be trying very hard." The thought of ever doing what she was insinuating, would have appalled her. She glanced at him out of the corner of her eye. To do it to him though?? Her smirk wasn't going to die down easily.

"You'd have to tie me down first." He answered, finishing the cake. "Would you make the tea? The soup should be almost done."

Tenten rose slowly and went to make tea. "I wouldn't have to tie you down." She grinned at him as she put water on to boil. "I think you'd enjoy it far too much to resist."

"You know I enjoy giving far more than I do receiving."

"You admit though, I have a skilled tongue..." She turned a bit red at her comment. "I've never really put it to good use on you." She turned brighter red, if it were possible. "Besides, it's a little bit of both in that position, giving...and receiving."

"Not if you become too mindless with pleasure to give."

Tenten laughed quietly at the sound of footsteps moving away, rapidly, from the house. Their 'guests' were gone. "You? Mindless with pleasure?" She rolled her eyes. Unlikely though it was, it had a nice sound to it.

"It got them to leave." Neji made a face. "Did you have to suck my fingers like that?"

Tenten added the tea leaves calmly to the water. _Yes_. "You liked it..."

"It was a very strange sensation."

"And you liked it." There was a smirk tugging at Tenten's lips.

"It was disturbing."

"Only because it made you blush and your pulse race." She turned around with the tea. "I could feel it in your wrist."

"You made me panic a bit."

She laughed. "Why? Nothing to panic over." She poured them each tea. "Right???"

"If I had let it continue, I would have to make good on my promise to make you helpless with pleasure."

Tenten paused. No one was around, she felt no chakra, it was safe to say what she pleased... "Neji...are you admitting that I aroused you?"

"I'm saying we would have had to have sex, or at least some food play. I thought we were trying to avoid actually doing such things."

"Right..." Her voice trailed off and she looked away. _Well of course I didn't arouse him, jeeze what were you thinking Tenten? Get your head out of the clouds girl! Focus on the damn mission, the more you let yourself fall for him, the harder it's going to be when this all ends and he's married off._

"You almost sound disappointed."

"Yeah...almost." She laughed slightly.

Neji paused, slightly concerned by the question he was about to ask. "Are you Tenten?"

The word 'yes' was turning into the mental mantra of the day. "Of course not." She waved her hand dismissively. She ignored how good it felt to hear him say her name out loud again.

"Good." He said setting plates of food on the table. "The mission is most important. Personal feelings like that would just complicate things."

She couldn't look at him. Words like that hurt a hell of a lot more than any rejection could. "Yeah...they would." She said quietly.

Neji knew that there was something not quite right with Tenten but let it be for the moment. His suspicions, however, were starting to rise. He thought that she had gotten over her crush on him years ago.

Tenten let herself be lost in her thoughts. So this was how Sakura felt all those years ago about Sasuke. She at least, had been able to admit she had feelings for Lee, and was now happy. What would there be for her though? Hinata was happy, Sakura was happy, even Ino was happy, despite the competition. Hell, even emo boy Sasuke was happy. _And once this mission ends, I get to step back and pretend I don't feel a thing. I won't be happy..._ She glanced at Neji. There was always a chance, that he would be happy. Maybe not at first, but maybe eventually.

Neji interrupted her thoughts with a slice of still warm cake set before her. Their dinner would take a bit longer still he told her, though the words didn't entirely sink in.

She blinked and looked up. "Thanks." She smiled, even though she didn't feel like smiling. "Now be honest...how surprised were you? About the...taijutsu I mean."

"Shocked." He admitted. "I never thought you would have copied my style, though looking to it, it better suits your tastes than Lee's does."

"You were much easier to mimic." She admitted with a genuine smile. "Watching you for years, training with you almost every day...I always liked the way you fought."

"Did you now? I thought you saw it enough that it would bore you."

"It's hard to be bored by something you find beautiful." She sipped her tea.

"Even beautiful things can lose their luster with time."

"You never seem to." She quickly averted her eyes. _That just slipped right out..._

"Did you just call me beautiful?" He paused mid bite.

"No, I called the wall beautiful." She muttered.

"Really, did you have to call me something so girly?" He muttered, going back to his cake.

"I was talking about how you are when you fight. You are very handsome though, but I could have sworn I told you that before."

"You did. I don't mind being called attractive, but beautiful? It's too feminine."

"Fine, when you fight it's mesmerizing." She took a bite of her cake. "Better?"

"Much." Neji smirked, sipping his tea.

"I adore how you hate associating anything feminine with yourself..." She said smirking. "But you used more shampoo and conditioner than Ino."

"There was mud in my hair." He defended himself.

"You use more than her when there isn't." She choked back giggles while trying to sip her tea.

"I have longer hair than she does, and how do you know how much she uses?"

"I slept over her house once or twice, and your hair isn't longer by much."

"Mine's thicker and healthier."

"Agreed." Tenten said taking another bite of her cake. "Softer too."

"Hair fetish Tenten?"

"Nope, like I said, when you have nightmares, you respond best to touch." She said drinking more tea.

"And with Ino?"

"I pulled her hair a few times when she was stuffing me into wedding dresses."

"You liked the dress. It could have been worse." Neji shrugged.

"Yeah I liked the one we got because I had some say in it. I told you about the frilly lace ones they tried to put me in."

"Imagine if your mother took you dress shopping."

A look of utter horror flitted across her features. "...Ugh..."

Neji laughed, "I told you it could be worse."

"Yeah." She laughed slightly. Neji didn't laugh often, but she loved the sound of his laughter. "Yeah it could definitely have been worse."

"Your dress would have ended up more disturbing than the curtains."

"I think we should just both be grateful my mother wasn't there." She smiled and finished off her cake. "She would have insisted we consummate the marriage."

"... Condom bunnies... Really, what is your mother taking?"

"You really want to know?" She asked skeptically.

"Humor me."

"Large doses of dad."

"...They will be getting no grandchildren from me."

"They won't be getting any out of me either." Tenten agreed with a dull tone.

"How on earth did you turn out normal?" From what Neji figured, Tenten was the single most 'normal' person in Konoha. A remarkable feat, considering her parents.

"Dad's pretty normal when he's not around mom." She smiled setting her tea down. "He said I'm a lot like my grandfather though."

"What was your grandfather like? I haven't heard much of him." Neji asked out of curiosity. Her grandfather was a weapon smith like her father, that much he knew, and he had heard that Tenten was like him, but he had never found out how.

"Well," She turned her cup in her hands. "He was very creative...he was a weapon smith, like my father. He was blind though. All the weapons he created, he did with his other senses, most of the weapon scrolls I use, were developed by him."

"Ironic, isn't it? What was his personality, if you're so much like him?"

"He liked being out at night, he liked the sound of the wild. Dad said, he had a great sense of humor, that he was very patient, and always helping people."

"I can see it, except the night part. You used to be afraid of the dark when we were younger."

"You're the one who made me like the dark." She leaned back in the chair.

"How did I do that?"

"Remember when we were still at the academy? There were a few classes outdoors, at night." He had stayed off by himself, and she had been terrified. "You had me sit with you and you pointed out it wasn't really all that dark. There were a lot of stars out, and the moon too."

"Because it wasn't dark. I was telling you the truth."

"Yeah, but everyone else just called me a crybaby." She laughed a bit. "I was really expecting you to do the same."

"You were a crybaby. I was just tactful enough not to say it."

She laughed. Somewhere deep down, she knew he thought she was a crybaby when they were younger. "Well, you changed me, and made me stronger. After that I'd sneak out of my house at night all the time to look at the sky. I've been doing it almost every night since that day."

"Even recently?"

"A few times." She chuckled. "The moon and stars look close enough to touch here."

"I imagine that all the lights in Konoha also made viewing the constellations more difficult."

"Sometimes, that's why I liked that old empty field so much." The thick woods that surrounded it blocked most of the light from the village. It was even on slope, so the village walls would not obscure the view of the sky.

"The nights when I was out on missions, staying alone at night in the middle of the woods, the sky was beautiful then." Neji admitted recalling some of the rather interesting missions that at the very least, had a few peaceful nights.

"You were away on a lot of missions this past year. I really missed you when you were gone." Tenten admitted quietly.

"I missed you too." He laced his fingers with hers.

Tenten smiled slightly at the contact. "You had a lot of long missions too..." Most her missions had been short, and frequent. Literally, there had been an entire year in which they barely saw each other. _What happened to that year anyway? It went by so fast._

He nodded. "They were to prepare me for becoming an ANBU." His many missions were all to 'prepare' him for life as one of the ANBU. It was emotional preperation, stress preperation, and above all tactical preperation. "I missed you during those times."

"I used to wait for you to get back." She sighed and shook her head. "They'd always have something ready for me before you got back, and by the time I got back, you were always gone again. They always told me that I just missed you."

He nodded. "I remember asking your mother about you once." He said, setting the food on the table and sitting down. He had a sour look on his face.

Tenten mentally winced. She could almost see her mother glomping him. _She probably begged him a few times to stay the night and have his way with me..._ "How bad was it?"

"She said you were going to arrive the next night, and invited me to stay in your room until you returned home." He wrinkled his nose in distaste. "It took several minutes before I could detach her and decline the offer."

"Aw, you should have stayed the night. At least we might have seen each other." It might not have meant as much to him, but it would have been a comfort to have seen him before being sent away on yet another mission.

"Her offer entailed spending a day and two nights in your room, with her hovering around. I can only take so much Amaya."

She smiled sadly. Now, she remembered her mother mentioning something about that. "Ah...I remember that now." It was after one of her 'failed' missions. "Maybe it's just as well, I was shaken after that. I don't know if I'd have wanted you to see me that way."

It was a seduction mission. Many girls had been raped, murdered, or willfully lost their virginity on their missions. They all came back with their horror stories, or sob stories of how horrible it was to give themselves up for their nation. While she always completed the mission, when it involved seduction, she never crossed the lines others did. Sure, it had left a few unsatisfactory performance notes on her record, but Tsunade-sama had always been most pleased that she refused to be another 'tragedy case.'

"Amaya." Neji said lowly, leaning next to her, so his lips brushed her ear as he set the food down. "Remember yourself, we're still on a mission." He could feel traces of Nobaru's chakra teasing his senses.

Tenten bit her lip and shivered slightly. Nobaru was really getting to be annoying. Though she had noticed he was not hanging about all day, every day as he used to, it was still annoying. It meant more acting, more times when she couldn't really tell who was talking to her, more times when she wanted some of their situations to be more than an act. She reached her hand back over her shoulder to touch his cheek. "Dinner looks and smells wonderful." She said with rather false cheer. She knew though, that only someone who had been around her for years would have noticed how fake it sounded, coming from her.

"Of course. That's because I cooked it." Neji sat down, picking up his chopsticks to eat his own meal. "If you had made it, even I would know it would look horrible."

"Enough with the cooking teasing. I know and admit to being a horrible cook." She joked waving her hands a bit in frustration. "We should get to bed early tonight Tsubasa, it was a long day." She picked up her chopsticks and looked at the door for a few minutes. At some point, she'd have to set up some sort of alarm system. Chakra infused tags perhaps, that would respond to someone getting too close to the house, even with their chakra suppressed_._

"I really did wear you out didn't I? Next time I suppose I'll be gentler."

"You were supposed to be training..." Tenten felt a bit of warmth grow in her cheeks as she ate. He hadn't worn her out, but he had been so close, and the way they had moved...sure they'd been physically that close before, but never quite like that. She loved how it felt being so close to him, while he moved her through the basics of his techniques...his family's greatest secrets.

"I did train." He smiled as he ate, in full Tsubasa mode. "You'd be surprised how much chakra control it takes to have sex like that." He smirked. "If it wasn't for your dancing, I'd be surprised you could bend like that."

Tenten turned a bit red. Neji was in 'Tsubasa mode,' a perverted side of him she never knew he had until their mission began. She shook her head lightly and forced her blush away. "And somehow, I still can't..." She was going to play up the excuse for a couple being so very...active. "What if I can't...at all?" Dealing with Neji's long unseen inner pervert was hard work, he was easier to work with when the conversation was serious.

"Have children?" Neji asked, picking up his tea. That was the reason they supposedly fucked like animals after all.

"Yeah." Tenten easily mimicked a sad expression. If anyone was able to see them, they'd see a young woman who wanted a child, who with her husband was trying desperately to have one. No one would see a pair of ninja on a mission to find and kill several scientists, right under the Raikage's nose.

"We'll just keep trying. If nothing happens, we'll probably adopt." He shrugged as though it didn't bother him. "Probably end up conceiving right after we start the adoption process, just like fate likes to spite people."

"I didn't think anything of it when I was younger. I never thought I'd get married after all..." She traced her finger along the edge of her cup. "I always wanted to be a mother, but since I didn't expect to marry, I thought nothing of the injury. Then you came along and changed all my life plans." She picked up her tea and took a sip. Neji did, in fact, change a lot of her life plans. She did want to marry, she wanted to be a mother one day, but since he wouldn't be part of that equation she'd go without both. She sighed when she set her cup down. Falling for him had come at a high price.

"You will be. We'll have a child whether by our blood or that of another." Neji said. "Just because we're having troubles doesn't mean we won't have the life we want."

She nodded slowly. "Are you sure you really want to be a father?" She smirked and glanced at him. "I can't see you handling your first diaper too well..."

"I've dealt with blood and bodies and organs strewn across the ground. I think I can handle a dirty diaper."

"That's what they all say, you said your uncle gagged changing one once."

"He always had a rather sensitive nose." He smirked. "The fact the child was a boy and promptly lost control of his bladder in the middle of the even didn't help matters."

Tenten chuckled. "And what if that happened to you, if you had a son?"

"I'd duck." Neji smirked.

"You're blind Tsubasa."

"I'm still a ninja. I'd still duck."

Tenten began to laugh. It was a very amusing mental picture.

"What about you?" He asked. "Would you be quick enough to duck?"

"I was quick enough to make you fall into the mud before you had your way with me." She stretched.

"You wanted an excuse to see me strip and bathe in the stream."

"Entirely worth it..." She said with an airy sigh. Oh yes, Neji naked, bathing in a stream certainly was a much more enjoyable mental picture than her previous one.

"Stuck on the mental picture?"

"I admit it has a nice feel to it." She practically ignored the smirk on his face.

"Do you plan on reliving it, or would you like to finish your dinner first?"

"I am reliving it." She said continuing to eat. "Oddly the thought of you wet and naked makes the food taste even better, if that were at all possible." No act, no lies, she was very much enjoying the mental picture, though she worried Nobaru was enjoying it too.

"Is that why my robe always mysteriously disappears after a shower?

"It's hanging up in the bathroom closet...you're the one who always comes out naked."

"Last time I checked, having a towel protecting my modesty did not make me naked."

Tenten shrugged. "It doesn't matter much it always comes off in the long run." She finished off her dinner and smirked. "We'll have to get out for you to get more training in in the next few days. I think it did you some good." She said leaning back in her seat. She wanted to get more training time in, perhaps more close quarters training on her taijutsu. She tried not to blush again.

Neji nodded. "It was nice to be able to freely train like that again. I'll also need to talk to Taiki about using the area more often, or to find another training ground."

Tenten nodded. "We can see if we can get back out there tomorrow, it's supposed to be nice again, we can try to go earlier in the day so we can get more done." Taiki's approval for Neji's training would be her saving graces.

"Hopefully so. If I become a teacher though, I soon won't have too much time for this. For you or for private training."

"Yeah, but we'll have some form of income." Tenten tried to joke. They weren't running short on money, but Neji working would blend them into the crowd better, as well as grant them more chances to investigate the village without being suspicious.

"Just don't kill off my students by making them cookies or anything else." He smirked. He didn't want to admit it, but he was getting anxious. While the mission was to take a long time, the utter lack of finding anything aside from basic Intel was making him fidget.

"I won't need to, you'll work half of them to death." She smiled and stood to clear her plate. "Hopefully they won't take up so much of your life that you're unable to get to know some of the other shinobi better." The more people he met the more leads they would find, she figured. The more 'friends' he made the more access he would get to areas of the village. Eventually, when he was able to tell her more about the interiors of some of the buildings, she'd be able to break in and inspect them personally. "We should get to bed soon" She said washing and drying her dishes. She was in fact a bit sore and tired from the events of the day.

"You should get out more, if such a little hike tires you out this much." He carried his plate to the sink. "But bed sounds good. I'll meet you there." He started to the bedroom, leaving his dishes with Tenten.

* * *

AN: oO Well there ya have it, that's the last ready to update pre-written chapter!!! Kigen and I might be slow getting the next chapters out (since we have to write them still!) but we'll try to get them out in a timely fashion!!! I'm...still kinda floored by how many people like this fic. Teehee hope you enjoyed this one. Till next time!! (I apologize for any errors that remain internet explorer crashed on me about 10 times while I was editing and things might not have saved properly.)


	14. Chapter 14

**Disillusioned**

By: Faraway Dawn & Kigen

Disclaimer: We don't own anything. But we are putting Kishimoto's characters to great use!

Chapter 14

The night was uneventful, they were fortunate enough to have no one watching them all night, and the morning again, a peacefully uneventful morning. At least, for Tenten it was. She was up at the crack of dawn, for once, before Neji. She sat by one of the windows in the living room reading and waiting for the sun to come up. She could see some of the buildings that stood out to her, the ones she wanted to explore first. They weren't all that suspicious, but if she ever needed a place to hide, they could work. She made a note on an entirely blank page in her book and flipped the page. She eyed the faint light starting to fill the village. Soon that light would flood their bedroom, and Neji would be up.

Neji, was very slow to rise. Shaking his head and all but glaring at the sun that dared to wake him, he stood and stretched. Maybe he had overexerted himself yesterday. It wasn't like him to sleep in this much. With a grumble, he staggered to the bathroom to shower and become a functioning human again.

Tenten glanced down the hall. Neji was very late getting up, at least by his usual standards. She checked the clock to find he'd slept nearly an entire hour later than normal. That just wasn't right, but she shrugged it off and waited, hoping that he'd be able to survive training. She figured perhaps, that he was just sore. That could have been it. She was sore herself from not having trained in nearly a full month. She nodded. That just had to be it.f

The shower woke Neji up a bit. He walked into the kitchen wearing the robe he was finally able to locate. He swore that Tenten had purposely hidden it, and just replaced it this morning. "Good morning." He felt fine now, if not a bit tired and achy. Acting normal, he went about making their breakfast.

"Good morning sunshine." Tenten smirked. "Bit sleepy this morning? You overslept by about an hour." She felt the need to point out that she was up before him, for whatever reason.

"Someone kept kicking in their sleep last night. Took a while to fall asleep." Neji teased right back; though they both knew that he had fallen asleep before Tenten.

"As if, you were out like a light. I was the one up most of the night." She muttered. She had been up doing a lot of thinking, too much of it even. Impossible relationship aside, they had a mission to think about, and there was plenty of planning to do. Most of her night had been spent watching a few buildings and making mental note of night security in the village. To her delight, it was somewhat…lax.

"Don't think too much then. Your poor brain isn't used to such stress." He set a plate before her, sitting at the table.

Tenten looked him over. He looked…"You look like you didn't sleep at all." ...Exhausted. She raised an eyebrow in curiosity before beginning to eat her breakfast.

"I've allowed myself too much leisure in the past month. My abilities have waned without constant stimulation."

"Yeah..." She answered shortly in agreement. She wasn't quite up to snuff herself, but that was one of the last things on her mind. "At least that's the least of your worries." She mumbled. He wasn't the one falling for his partner! He wasn't the one who had to act like nothing was going on. He wasn't that dense either, she figured he would catch on sooner or later if she didn't get things under control.

"Are you feeling up to training again today?" He asked, picking at his food more than eating it.

She nodded. "Planning to make me, oh what did you say? 'Sore in places I didn't know I had' maybe?" It still had a pleasant sound to it the more she thought about it. "I mean I'm a bit achy but hardly so sore I can't move." She ate her breakfast quickly and glanced at the food he barely touched. "You gonna be able to make it?"

"I'm fine." He answered standing slowly and placing his dishes in the sink. "Even if I am a bit tired, I'm still more than capable of besting you." He called from the bedroom where he quickly dressed. He smirked confidently and grabbed his pack upon his return. "Let's go, I don't want to waste any more time."

Tenten got up quickly. "That sounded like a challenge." She took her dishes to the sink and grabbed her things. "Fine...you're easy enough to beat when you're wiped out."

"I'm not wiped." Neji grumbled. Shouldering the pack, he made a detour to their room. Recalling the previous day, he decided he should pack another change of clothes.

Tenten smirked slightly and found Taiki's note while Neji grabbed some things out of the bedroom. "Worried about getting dirty again?" She called down the hall in amusement.

"Worried of being caught half naked by Nobaru." He answered. It was only a matter of time before he came to check up on them again.

"Eh..." Tenten shrugged. "He'd leave if I was half naked, if it makes you feel any better."

"Strangely enough, that thought is not as comforting as it should be." Neji muttered, slipping on his sandals. "Let's go."

Tenten and Neji made their way slowly to the training grounds, every so often Tenten noted, Neji slowed down on the walk. She shrugged it off when they finally reached the grounds, blaming exhaustion. "Now you're sure you want to train?" She stretched slowly and eyed her partner. "You really do look like you haven't slept a wink. I'll feel bad beating you up so easily."

"I'll be fine." Neji assured her, taking a stance. It was true that though he slept the night before, he had tossed and turned and gotten very little rest. "Come at me with your full strength Tenten. Do not insult me with anything less."

"Alright..." Tenten nodded. "Minus the weapons I assume?" She eyed his stance quickly. There were several openings, but Neji would know to guard them. Her eyes quickly calculated all his possible defenses, and she silently formulated a simple strategy.

"Hand-to-hand combat for now." The sun beat down on them, which is what Neji contributed to why he felt so heated. He could already feel sweat start to bead at his temples and the back of his neck, but ignored it. He waited for Tenten to strike.

Tenten's strike was hard and fast. To her surprise, Neji was unable to block it. _That's...not right_. She thought when he slid back a few paces from the force of the kick, just barely guarding himself. Her strikes were blocked, but she noted again, just barely. "You sure," she began throwing in a hard roundhouse kick, "that you don't want me to take it easy?"

"It isn't training unless we're fighting all out. Training is about reaching limits and pushing past them, not to simply reach them." He said, quoting something he had learned when he was young. He stepped back, dodging the kick and almost losing his foothold. Already gasping for air, he struck out at the female ninja.

Tenten dodged each attack with ease. Each strike appeared a bit slower than the last. "Yeah well that's fine and all but you're not going all out. I'd be getting hurt if you were. You can barely stand." She caught his wrist and swiftly twisted his arm behind his back and forced him into a shoulder lock. "Fight it and it's going to hurt like hell." She muttered to him. His wrist was warm to the touch, perhaps a bit too warm.

__

Well we are fighting in direct sunlight...and the walk was slower than normal...

Tenten found herself trying to reason with herself. _And he didn't sleep all that well..._

Neji had to fight with his body not to lean back against Tenten's body. He stood still, panting heavily in the air. The sun was bright in his eyes, bright enough to cause spots to swim in his vision. "I have already said Tenten, I am fine." He growled, voice sounding strangely distant to his own ears.

"You're kinda pale..." Tenten loosened her grip. "...and you aren't fine, you'd be out of the shoulder lock if you were fine. Are you that sleepy?" Tenten watched him carefully when she felt his pulse slow slightly. It was nothing to be concerned about yet, but it was almost as if he were about to lose consciousness.

"I'm naturally pale." Neji argued. He pulled out of the shoulder lock. "I am perfectly awake Tenten." He wasn't sleepy, though he was fatigued. He shook his head to clear it, regretting it immediately when he fell dizzy.

"Not this pale." Tenten shot back. "Come on, you attack. I'm almost afraid of hitting you again."

"I assure you Tenten, I am perfectly fine. I shouldn't have to say it so many time." He snapped. "I, I won't..." his vision darkened and he swayed dangerously on his feet.

Tenten dropped her guard when he began to sway. "Neji??" She stepped closer incase he lost his balance. "Come on now, seriously you aren't ok. Maybe you should sit down for a few minutes." Tenten bit her lip nervously. Lack of sleep could do this to a person, but Neji hadn't lost THAT much sleep.

Neji sank to his knees, cradling his head in his hands. "I'm fine, just a bit lightheaded." He admitted to that. His head was starting to throb, and his entire body felt light and hot.

Tenten was quickly on her knees in front of him. "You look worse than you did when you woke up." She reached out slowly and felt his hands. "...Your hands are too hot for just this light. You said you feel lightheaded too?"

"A bit." He cracked open an eye to look at her. "It's no reason for concern Tenten. I'm just feel a bit under the weather. It's fine." He repeated, wishing she'd stop looking at him like that.

She merely sighed in response. She moved one of his hands to the side and felt near his forehead before cursing under her breath. "You're too warm, you can't train like this, you can't stand without swaying, you can barely defend yourself."

"We shouldn't waste a valuable opportunity to train unobserved." He stood quickly, instantly regretting it as the world tilted violently and turned black.

"Neji!!" Tenten caught him when he collapsed and again she felt his forehead. "Shit." She muttered. "Dammit Neji." She grumbled carefully lying him on the ground. From what she could tell, he had an unusually high fever and would need it lowered. She looked around in frustration while carefully tugging the bandages back over Neji's eyes. If she carried him back to the village their cover would be blown fast. No simple 'housewife' would be strong enough to carry Neji all the way back up a crumbly path. Especially while familiar chakra graced the area. _Taiki and Nobaru are out there_. She eyed the woods nervously. _I can't signal to either with my chakra, that'll blow our cover...dammit Neji_.

She could hear their voices not far in the distance, speaking to each other, and steadily growing closer.

Nobaru and Taiki had been walking a leisurely pace towards the old training grounds. One of lightning country's infamous storms was on its way, and it wouldn't do to leave the happy couple in the rain. Frowning, as he felt the change in Tsubasa's chakra, Nobaru broke out into a run, startling the chuunin at his side.

Taiki paused only a moment before running after Nobaru. "Tsubasa's chakra dropped suddenly." He muttered when he caught up. His light eyes glanced back behind them. "The storm is moving fast, we need to get them back to the village." To the chuunin, something simply did not feel right. Chakra did not drop so rapidly unless there were serious injury or illness involved.

Nobaru nodded. "We will hurry. You take care of the woman, and I'll take care of Tsubasa." He thought that the man had looked a bit off the last few days. He was probably coming down with something. Either that or the fact he was married to an ugly vagina monster finally hit him and made him sick.

"They'll be at the old grounds ahead. After we get them home get your squad to the south pass villages, if the rivers flood anywhere, the lowest villages are going to be hit hard. We'll need to evacuate them and move them to higher ground, make sure the floodgates get sealed." Taiki sprinted ahead toward the clearing used for training and stopped. Tsubasa appeared to be unconscious, his wife looked distraught.

"Up we go lover boy." Nobaru heaved Tsubasa over his shoulder, taking a moment to look at the unconscious man's ass. While he would never take advantage of an unconscious person (it would be less fun after all if they didn't react), damn if Tsubasa didn't have a gorgeous rear. "Okay She-hag, do you think you can follow me or do you need me to carry you too?" His eyes scanned over the area, taking the storm into account. They had some time, but if the girl was going to struggle, it would be easier to just heave her over his other shoulder and deal with touching girly bits.

Taiki noted the woman's glare. "I'll carry her, we'll make better time." He lifted her carefully after she had gathered all their things, and for the first time he noted, she was not dressed in her normal attire. "How high is his fever Nobaru? I can damn near feel it from here."

"Too high." Nobaru shifted Tsubasa to carry him bridal style once he learned he wasn't going to be carrying the she witch as well. "I'll give him a more through look over once we've gotten them to safety and the village is taken care of." It was going to be one hell of a storm the way the wind was picking up. He could already hear the thunder in the distance.

"I can take care of it when we get home..." Tenten managed to call over a gust of wind. "I wouldn't have been able to carry him up the mountain though..." Her eyes looked up at the rapidly darkening sky.

"She's right." Taiki answered. "She's his wife, she can take care of it, we have smaller villages to evacuate, and we'll need all the time we have to get the shelters ready."

"That's why I'll look at him after we've done evacuating. You know all the medic nin are going to be too busy looking after all the injured and helping to look over a simple fever. Besides, I know more than the basics of medical ninjutsu."

"You're going to be needed." Taiki argued. They both raced along the paths back up the mountain, the wind was growing stronger, and the distant rumble of thunder was closing in. "You and your team will be needed in the lower villages, you're the only ones fast enough to evacuate them to higher ground and get them moving to the shelters if the storm strikes during the evacuations."

Tenten tilted her head slightly and glanced at Neji. "The storm coming is that bad?"

"First of the season is always the worst. Plus, you can smell it in the air. Lightning charges the air and the winds start to pick up. The ground's dry and loose and there's a good chance for floods and land slides." Nobaru started to hop up the mountain along crumbly outcrops. With a fever so high, Tsubasa would need medical care, and there were other things to worry about, wasting time was not an option.

"Fires too." Taiki added. "Despite what rain we've had this summer it's been extremely dry. The lowest villages along the mountain side got hit the worst by the weather. If fires break out along the mountain, most people will have more to worry about than mere repairs to their homes." Following suit Taiki began jumping along the outcrops to make faster time. "Any storm you've seen here so far, is nothing compared to the start of the storm season."

Tenten took a moment to process the information given to her. There were multiple small villages, there were shelters, Neji was very sick, it was only the start of the storm season and..."Your dry season is...short lived." When Tenten thought about it, their mission was going to be more frustrating. She had no idea where these shelters were, what if experiments were being carried out there? What if that's why they needed time to prep the shelters for people? What if, what if, what if…Her eyes however were fixed on Neji. She had never seen him look so bad.

Taiki took a moment to laugh a bit when the upper levels of the mountain, more obviously populated, came into sight. "You think we got the name 'Lightning Country' for the sunshine?" His eyes scanned the nearby mountains. "We've got about a half hour Nobaru, before the rivers start flooding."

"I hear ya Taiki." He paused at the top of the mountain, looking down at the two. "Hurry up or I'll take them both and leave you behind." He teased, shifting Neji in his arms. His eyes scanned the area carefully, looking for any signs of the storm getting here sooner than expected.

Taiki moved quickly and passed Nobaru, making his way down into the village. "Let's get them home." Taiki's head turned swiftly to the east at the sound of sirens. "Storm's made landfall." He muttered with a notable twitch and clip to his voice before he took off at a run for the home of the Takimuras.

"Think of all the hot young village men we're going to save." Nobaru smirked, running ahead with Tsubasa in his arms. "And after it's done, when we're all sweaty and dirty, I'll make sure to clean every inch of your body." Nobaru nipped Taiki's ear with a smirk.

"This isn't the time for your jokes Nobaru." Taiki muttered, for the first time entirely unfazed by Nobaru's comment and advances. He set Amaya down and waited for her to swiftly unlock the door.

Tenten tossed their things swiftly into the house. "Just lay him on the couch, I can manage from there." She said running into their kitchen and rummaging through a cupboard, looking for a small stash of medicine she was certain they had either packed or bought.

"Who said it was a joke Taiki?" Nobaru stepped inside, not bothering to toe off his shoes as he carried the unconscious male to the couch. "If you're not gonna let me come back and give Tsubasa some needed care, then you'll just have to be my victim." Giving Tsubasa a quick once over to make sure he wasn't going to die, he headed for the door and disaster. "Take care of sweet cheeks, she-hag."

Tenten watched the door shut and a flash of lightning illuminate the dark room before she moved to the door to lock it. She could hear Taiki shouting orders to various people, and Nobaru calling for multiple squads to move to various villages she'd never heard mentioned before. The voices were moving away and the last thing she heard was that the shelters inside of the mountain were ready. _Insid- eh…forget it, worry about it later._ She grabbed a cold damp cloth from the kitchen and removed the bandages from Neji's head, replacing it with the cold cloth.

Neji let out a inaudible whimper at the cloth on his forehead. Raising out of sleep, he raised his arm weakly to remove the blindfold. His skin was covered in sweat and a light mist, his face flushed by the fever.

Tenten sighed in frustration when she felt his forehead. His fever was extremely high, typical cooling was not going to work. The medicine she had been sure they had, was not in the cupboard. "Neji, just hold on a few minutes." She whispered placing a cool damp cloth on his forehead before heading to the bathroom.

She plugged the tub and turned on the water. Lukewarm water baths could reduce fevers fast, there was only one slight problem. _He's not going to be able to sit up. _"Guess...I'll have to get in with him." She returned to Neji a few moments later and kneeled beside the couch. Thunder shook the entire mountain before she lifted the cloth. "Neji?" She began a mental mantra of 'please be awake' for a few moments while she waited for him to at least make some sound of recognition.

Neji let out a soft grunt. His eyes fluttered a moment when the cloth was removed from his eyes. They were already glazed over from the fever and soon closed again. He was deaf to Tenten's mental pleas.

Tenten cursed rapidly. Neji was out cold. "And here," she muttered lifting his arm over her shoulder and pulling him onto her back, "I thought the day couldn't get any worse." There was something strange mentally about carrying him piggy-back style to the bathroom, but once she got there she realized all too soon that wasn't going to be the worst of it. "Neji...I think you'd kill me for this if you weren't sick." She told him even as he lay on the bathroom floor unconscious. "Stripping my partner...Ino and Sakura would get a kick out of this." She grumbled removing most of Neji's clothes and most of her own.

Neji was doing his best impression of drowned sack of potatoes and did nothing to aid Tenten in the process. His head lolled to the side lifelessly as she shifted him to a sitting position. His breathing was erratic, and he had broken into a cold, clammy sweat.

Tenten eyed both their discarded clothes. She had stripped him down to his boxers, and removed her clothes down to her bra and panties. Just like swimming, she had told her self multiple times. Tenten brought a cold washcloth over Neji's forehead and bit her lip. "I don't remember the last time you were sick..." She muttered. His head was rested against her shoulder and he looked like hell. She felt his cheek, still extremely hot to the touch. "You better not stay like this you know??"

Neji remained silent, moaning a little as his body was lowered into the tub. If he had been conscious, he would have mocked Tenten for her modesty and he would have thought not to wear white boxers that did not hold up well when wet.

Five minutes turned to twenty. He was still silent, barely moved, and the water had gotten a few degrees cooler. Twenty minutes turned to forty-five. The water had become noticeably cooler, and still Neji barely moved or made a sound. She took the chance to remove the damp cloth and soak it again and rested her hand gently against his forehead to check his temperature. The lights flickered a few times and the thunder shook the house slightly. To her mild relief, Neji's fever had dropped a tiny bit. She subconsciously held him closer for a few moments, the cloth she had been soaking forgotten. A degree or two in nearly an hour..._It's gonna be a long, long night_.

It was until a few hours before sunrise that Neji finally stirred. With a thin moan, his eyes fluttered open. "Ten...ten?" Neji blinked several times to clear the haze in his eyes before the figure holding him became clean. "What happened?" He shifted, the water was cold around him. Inadvertently, he brushed against Tenten's hardened nipples.

Tenten was shivering. "Y-you h-had a fe-fever." She was exhausted and freezing but she smiled. "You've been out all night." She bit her lip to try to stop from shivering more. "I-It's gotta be close to morning by now."

"Idiot." He muttered, trying to get up and turn the water back to hot. "You're going to give yourself a fever at this rate." He mumbled, not even noticing their state of undress.

Her hand stopped his and she pulled the damp cloth off his forehead and brought her hand to it. "Much better..." She said quietly. He still had a slight fever, but it wasn't nearly as high as it had been. "You should get out and dry off, get some rest...you really scared me you know?" She told him between small fits of shivering. She had almost fallen asleep several times through the night.

"I'm fine Tenten." He turned on the shower to a warm spray, letting it fall over Tenten. "You should take care of yourself before you worry over my state." he muttered, turning to her. For the first time he noticed that she was only in her undergarments and the pink of his cheeks darkened.

"I'm not the one who passed out and had to be held in a bath all night am I?" Even freezing she couldn't help but smirk. He was obviously feeling a bit better, his sentences were coherent, and he was even chastising her for her efforts. "You're turning red though." She said leaning toward him to feel his head again. "Hmm fever's down though so...what's got you blushing?"

"I assure you that I'm not blushing. It is merely the fever Tenten." He grabbed a towel, turning his back. "I'm going to sleep. Warm yourself up and do the same." He left, door clicking shut behind him as he hastily exited.

Shutting off the water, Tenten grabbed a towel and glanced at their clothes. She removed what little remained on her clothes and wrapped herself in the towel before exiting the bathroom. He was already in bed when she grabbed some dry things to sleep in and pulled them on. "You'd have done the same for me..." She told him while she pulled on a shirt and shorts.

"I would have had the sense not to strip myself as well and jeopardize my health." Neji mumbled, turning to face away from Tenten. He was still blushing, and wanted to avoid her seeing him.

She got into bed and shifted closer to him. "I was expecting you to wake up a lot sooner but...either way..." She paused. "We're partners." _We're best friends...this is the kind of crazy shit you do for a best friend. _"I'd do it again if I had to. It's what you'd do for your best friend right?" Tenten shifted and crawled under the blankets, still shivering. She was sure she wouldn't get sick, but that cold would keep her in bed for a day at least. Not that it mattered in such a storm, the heavy falling of rain and the steady rumble of thunder made it clear that they wouldn't be leaving home for a few days.

"Yes. It is." Neji admitted. He could feel Tenten shivering through the blankets. He turned, pulling her to him. If he had one thing to spare as the moment, it was body heat. "Friends also keep friends from getting sick from their own foolishness."

Tenten smiled slightly. "You're welcome." Her smile more a pleased and confident smirk when she met his eyes. He didn't have to say it, she knew her sacrifice was appreciated.

"Don't do it again." Neji muttered, closing his eyes. Despite being unconscious for hours, he was still exhausted. He was asleep in moments, still holding Tenten to his chest.

"Don't scare me like that again then." Tenten whispered as her eyes fell closed. The sleep she had been craving most of the night while she waited for his temperature to drop, finally graced her.

Across the village, far below the surface of the village others were not so fortunate. "Well, it appears the she hag hasn't killed him off." Nobaru turned to Taiki. He was covered in dirt and soaked through from the work throughout the night. The flooding had been bad, but the wildfires and landsides manageable. They were able to take a break for a moment while lower level ninja began the cleanup.

In the mountain shelter, people below were hurrying about. At least three small farming villages had been washed away in the floods. Some people were frantically searching for family, others were desperately trying to get dry, having only barely escaped the flooding rivers. The village's jounin were busy taking people's names and directing them to beds set up in the shelters, the chuunin were even passing out hot food and drinks that had been hastily prepared, and through it all a set of eyes watched the chaos from one of the terraces of the shelter. "I'm not really worried about that…Fatality report?" Taiki asked quietly.

"Seven known. At least ninety-eight known missing. Better than last year, eh?" Nobaru picked up a small girl and set her on one of the beds, tucking her in. "Take a break will you? You look ready to drop too." He noted, taking the clipboard from the boy. "I'll finish up the report if you let me take you out later.

Taiki rubbed his head slightly. "Seven is seven too many." The deaths always took their toll on those involved with evacuations and rescues, but he had always taken them worse than others. "I'm the one who has to tell these people they're never going to see their son, daughter, father, mother, brother or sister again. I'm the one who has to tell them they have no home to go back to...Seven...better than last year...not good enough." The blonde shoved himself lightly from the rail and stood up straight. "The Raikage is going to need that report in a few hours. Search and rescue will need to be on standby for when the storm calms enough for them to safely begin rescue operations."

"Relax." Nobaru placed his hand over Taiki's eyes, pulling the head down to rest against his shoulder. "Getting worked up about it isn't going to make it better. Remember your training." He mumbled.

For once, Taiki didn't move. Exhaustion was taking its toll. "I'll take a shift off. Make sure these chuunin take a break every five hours, the jounin every six. Call in some help from the academy if we get short on help. The Raikage wants that report in an hour, two at the latest." Taiki paused for a moment to take a slow breath. "Search and rescue...keep them well rested and fed. They have the worst job out of all of us."

"Righto. Chunin break every five hours, jounin every six, call academy kids for grunt work and get papers to the Raikage before sunrise. got it" Nobaru nodded, kissing Taiki's temple and patting his butt before pushing him to the relief tents for Ninja. "Take a nap. I'll wake you up if anything's needed."

A few heads turned when Taiki made no outburst and merely walked toward the tent in silence. It was unlike him, and a few shinobi speculated that the deaths really did get to him too much. A few medics returned to their work taking care of the injured, a few passing chuunin handed Nobaru their reports, and the jounin continued to guide people to family and rest while Taiki vanished into the tent. Sleep could do wonders when you were under immeasurable stress.

Nobaru frowned, and started to bark out the orders. Smiling to himself, he wondered if Taiki realized he had just agreed to a date. Pushing that happy though to the back of his mind, he went about doing the work, going as far as to inform half of the families of their relative's deaths. He was after all, a diligent worker when need be, even when the work was a far cry from pleasant.

* * *

It was still very early morning, according to the clock at least, when Tenten opened her eyes a bit. Rain was falling in sheets out the window, visibility was non-existent and the rain appeared to move in slow motion when lightning streaked through the sky. She tried not to shift much when she glanced at Neji. The village was going to be occupied for a few days, there would be no time for someone to watch them during the storms, they could talk, if he was feeling better, about a strategy with no fear.

Neji shifted, making sleepy sound as he rolled onto his other side when he felt Tenten move away. Letting out a groan, he squirmed a bit more before falling into a deeper sleep. Neji had to be exhausted to sleep like that.

Tenten laughed quietly at him before moving to hover over him. His hair was a mess and she pushed it away from his face. So much for him being up for a chat. "You're lucky you're my best friend...I wouldn't have frozen my ass off for anyone else." She muttered smoothing out some of his currently, very messy hair.

"Nn... st'p messing with my hair." Neji opened his eyes with a disgruntled look upon his face. "You're going to knot it." He muttered, batting her hands away.

"Actually I just got a few knots out." She answered with an amused smirk. "Despite the messy hair, you look much better this morning. You slept about five hours, on top of all night last night."

"It feels like I've been sleeping for days." Neji sat up on his elbows, looking at Tenten. "What's going on out there?" Rain was hitting the windows and lighting crackled. "I can't feel the energy of any nin close by."

"There's a bad storm. When you passed out, Nobaru and Taiki helped bring you back to the village." She thought about everything she had heard. The shelters, the various small villages, and the dangers of the storms. "They said the storm season gets really bad. They said the first is the worst, they were talking about massive evacuations of low lying villages."

"All the ninja are out with evacuations?" He felt dizzy, but this was an opportunity they needed to take advantage of. "We should use this time to infiltrate a few of the buildings we need to examine.

"They said there were underground shelters in the mountain itself. I never even considered how much might be underground. They said there are landslides, floods, fires...I imagine most of the active shinobi are helping with either evacuations or search and rescue. I'm sure there are those volunteering too. The way Taiki and Nobaru were talking about it, it sounds like something Konoha would never be able to deal with."

"Exactly why we should do this now." He stood, swaying a little. "Get dressed. If I've been asleep a day, it'll only be a day or two more before the defenses go back to their normal levels."

Tenten tugged him back down to the bed. "You're on bed rest, my orders. You outrank me, but you're sick still. You'll get us caught if you try to go out there now like this."

"Then you should go. At least scout out the building to check for weaknesses in their defenses." Neji was pulled down a bit too easily, and succumbed to the dizziness that threw him off balance.

"Which ones?" She asked pushing Neji down onto the bed and onto his back. She forgot that she was practically on top of him, she was in mission mode. "You mapped them out so which ones do you want thoroughly investigated first? Any that stood out?"

"The large one near the mountain gate is the most suspicious. Don't try to go too deep, you're weakened as well right now. Just scout the outside of the building and see if you can find any holes in their defenses. If you have time, check out some of the smaller buildings. Don't try too much. We still have time and it's too early to take big risks."

"No risks huh? Got it." She answered releasing him and grabbing her change of clothes. She changed, unbothered by the fact that Neji could watch her, not that he would of course..."Not too deep in, look for weaknesses." She fastened the ties of her obsidian black jacket and tugged on black gloves and shoes. She grabbed only one scroll containing mostly tools to disarm traps.

"You damn well better be in bed when I get back." She warned shoving a spare pillow down under the covers and fluffing it a bit to resemble a human body. "At no point have either of us left this house...ever." Tenten held out a paper seal. "I'm going to bind some of my chakra to this, enough to make it appear that I'm here...just in case." She said biting hard into her thumb and smearing her blood across the seal.

Neji watched her create the seal. "If things get bad, I'll create shadow clone in your shape to carry around the seal. Other than that I'll stay in bed so you don't worry." He grabbed her hand. "Summon me if you need backup. Even ill I can hold my own."

"If I need backup, you need to get out of here." Tenten's eyes locked on his hand. "I'm a professional assassin Neji...if I get into trouble it's on me, your cover will be compromised, and you'll have to leave."

Neji snorted. "What kind of comrade would I be if I left you behind. If there's a chance to save you, I will. Only if you are dead will I leave you behind."

Tenten laughed. "You'd be a smart comrade, but a terrible friend." It was flattering to know even with direct orders to withdraw, he would still come after her. "Get some rest. If I'm not back in two hours, assume the worst."

"The worst would be Nobaru getting full permission to interrogate me. If that happens, I won't forgive you." Neji pulled the blankets up. "Stay safe Amaya."

Tenten nodded and slid open the window. Within a few moments it was shut, and she had vanished in the downpour.

* * *

AN: So sorry about the delay updating. I'm out of town a lot in the spring/summer seasons so it's really hard to get with Kigen and get crap done. However! It is now closer to the school year again and with loads of free time and dull classes we'll probably be able to get back to our usual pace. Thank you all for your patience with this and enjoy!


	15. Chapter 15

**Disillusioned**

By: Faraway Dawn & Kigen

Disclaimer: We still don't own anything but this apparently brilliant idea of ours, but hehehe fall is here and the cider that I do own is back! (be afraid! Be very afraid!)

**Chapter 15**

__

Ping. Ping. Ping. Ping. Ping.

Every few steps Tenten covered that was all she could hear. Rain, more rain, and after being soaked head to toe, still more rain. It was perfect cover, there was so much of it you couldn't see two inches in front of you. Not that anyone would have been around to see anyway…

Each street was empty, many windows were boarded up, probably to prevent excess damage from the wind. Each twisting road that wound around a part of the mountain to another terraced portion of the city had only one thing in common with the next. Apart from water, they were empty.

_Ping. Ping. Ping. Ping. Ping._

Thunder made the water on the ground ripple and the flashes of lighting made the rain drops appear to fall in slow motion. Then there was the gale. Tenten could smell the salt of the ocean in the air and felt her very breath ripped from her in the strong wind. It hurt, trying to breathe in the wind and the rain, and when she managed to turn her face away to catch her breath, she broke into a sprint for the nearest building out of the wind.

_Ping. Ping. Ping. Ping. Ping._

The rain was almost deafening even in the shadow of-

Tenten smiled. At least her primary target had been reached. She climbed up to the nearest window of the building and looked around the town. With no chakra, no sign of anyone, and nothing but the roar of rain on each building, she turned her attention to the window.

It was entirely…

"Ordinary." She muttered to herself. The pane was slightly thicker than the standard issue glass, the stone material around it appeared to have been brought from a lower region of the mountain, she guessed by its much darker tone. The water traced dirty paths down the pane of glass and she looked more closely inside. Tenten's eyes narrowed. She expected to see something, anything even!

All she could see was the dark hall below the window and a few ceiling support structures.

_'Don't try to go too far…' _

Tenten tugged out a scroll and opened it. Her scrolls had become more diverse in use the more missions she took on. Eventually they included scrolls that had summons for explosives, trap wires, and even tools to disarm traps. They were things any passable assassin would keep on hand. Her eyes located the summon she required and within seconds she made ready to open the window. _Way to make this a challenge jeeze, Konoha has some traps on their windows at least. _She slid a tool under a small space between the window pane and sill, within a few seconds the window would be open and she'd be able to get a good look…

Sometimes an assassin's instincts could prove useful, even when merely breaking into a building.

Tenten removed the tool quickly and eyed the window. Something had changed about it, something she just couldn't put her finger on, something subtle.

_Ping. Ping. Ping. Ping. Ping._

The rain thundered across roof tops, against windows, and the hard drops of water slammed into her back and shoulders.

_Chakra…_Russet eyes blinked in surprise. There was a steady flow of chakra through the entire building, even the stone and glass. An uncommon, but masterful defense. Breaking a window would disrupt the chakra flow that had been infused into the stone and glass, someone monitoring it would notice in an instant. Prying open the window would have the same effect. _Well I'll be damned. That coulda gone badly._ She absentmindedly scratched the back of her head, overwhelmed with curiosity. Only a few types of stone absorbed and allowed a steady flow of chakra and the glass…well she was at a loss there. One thing was for sure, they didn't want anyone getting in.

Tenten abandoned her window in favor of looking around the building's exterior. A few windows here and there, all of which looked into dark halls, and most of the windows were near the ceiling of said halls, other than that nothing special.

"Where the hell is the door?" She muttered to herself after her fifteenth trip around the building. She thought, and thought, and thought more but nothing was coming to-

'_Nobaru! Taiki!! The shelters in the western half of the mountain, A-1 through D-5 are ready. The Northern shelters are being prepped.'_

_'Good, get people into shelter A-1 through 5 first, set up the medics at the central tier, ten of them to a tier. Get tier one ready first, we're expecting a lot.'_

Tenten's confused expression gave way to a smirk. She recalled the yelling she had heard when Nobaru and Taiki had left them at home. The shelters had an access point somewhere, more than likely, this building, along with a few others, were only accessible via an underground door, probably connected to hallways and other underground facilities. It wasn't much, but it was something Neji would be pleased to hear they had made progress on. Deciding to make better use of her time, she left the strange building and began to examine multiple other buildings of interest.

_Ping. Ping. Ping. Ping. Ping._

Neji tossed back and forth, sweat starting to bead upon his forehead once more. He didn't want to believe Tenten when she had told him of how long he slept; he was still so tired. He sat up and laid back down a few times, and overall was trying his best not to fall asleep. Despite the words he and Tenten had exchanged, he could feel sleep tugging at his eyes. The rain fell upon the house and pattered against the windows, a steady lull drawing him closer to sleep with every second.

The endless patter of rain finally drew him into deep sleep. The images shifted, from the school, from various missions, to the god awful club. When the world stopped spinning, he opened his eyes to find himself in the field under the night sky. The field they always haunted when they needed to get away. The one she used to train in with her father, before they started training together. Letting out a sigh, he let his body relax and lounged on the soft long grass. It had been a long time since he had last been so content with his situation.

"Nice night, isn't it?" Tenten asked, brining Neji from his reprieve.

"When did you get here Tenten?" Neji cracked open a single eye to look at her.

"I've been here the whole time Neji." She chuckled.

"Have you?" Neji closed his eyes again, tucking his arms behind his head.

"I am the one who asked you to come here with me after all." Tenten smiled, reaching out to push back a lock of Neji's hair.

Neji startled at the touch, he sat up abruptly and inadvertently knocked Tenten's hand away. He couldn't remember Tenten asking him out; couldn't remember coming here or anything, but he was not used to having his hair touched. "Sorry." He muttered.

Tenten drew her arm back to her side, and hugged her knees to her chest. It was such a shy posture; filled with anxiety and a touch of something else… the smile on her lips did not falter though. She was excited as well. "I know this seems really sudden Neji..." she shifted, turning to face him, though not daring to look in his eyes. "It isn't though. I've been thinking about it for a long, well very long time actually, since we became teammates…"

What was she talking about? Was she harboring some secret that he didn't know about?

"And now, after all these years of being silent, of keeping it all inside, I can't anymore." Tenten leaned closer.

Neji sat up abruptly, suddenly very bewildered. This was not typical talk from Tenten, and she was very close all of a sudden. Had she always been so close? "What's wrong Tenten, what are you talking about?" This was unlike her.

"What I mean to say is." Tenten was close now, straddling his lap…when had that happened anyway?! Her arms wrapped around his shoulders. "I love you Neji. Please... say you love me too."

Neji's jaw dropped. He was stunned. He tried to speak but no words were forming, he knew he must look stupid but Tenten stilled his lips and pressed her own against him in need...

"Please Neji," She whispered against his lips. "tell me you love me too."

"How? When?" He asked finally, when words beyond 'hm?' or 'hn?' formed. This had to be training, right? Part of the mission maybe, there was no way that Tenten could have feelings for him like that.

He would have noticed something, she would have slipped up somewhere_._

"How? When?" Tenten pulled away, tucking a strand of suddenly loose hair behind her ears. "You would want to know that, wouldn't you?" She smiled softly, and he was certain for a few seconds that she could read his mind. For once, he sensed so much more emotion in her than he ever had before.

"I've always admired you Neji. You were always so strong and sure of yourself, even if you were a bit of a jerk at first. Time went on, and I got to know you better and better. You stopped being the great ice prince to me, and started being, well...I saw your humanity. Your weakness and insecurities. Rather than making you seem less, it only made you even more admirable; that you could be so strong even when you were hurting like you were…" Tenten bit her lip, and looked up at Neji from below her eyelashes, and he noticed for the first time that when she did that her eyes had a hypnotic effect. It was impossible to look away, you could just see the light flecks of gold in her brown eyes. "As for when, I don't know. It grew more and more, the more I spent time with you. There wasn't a defining moment, I never stopped and saw the light. One day I just woke up and realized that I was in love with you, and that I always knew I had been."

He felt her head on his shoulder, and her hands clutched at his shirt. "I know that you don't love me as much as I love you; and I know that you could have anyone that you want, but Neji," She sat up, pressing their foreheads together and she intertwining their fingers. Her hands, calloused from years of weapon use, still felt soft in his own rough hands. "I love you. I love you more than anyone ever could. So please, Neji…" She leaned closer and their lips hovered dangerously close to each other, "Say that you love me too." With a flutter of her lashes, she pressed her lips to his.

The crash of thunder brought Neji back to reality with a start._ What the hell was that? _His breathing was heavy and his eyes raked the room, looking for why she felt so close._ A dream?_ Her lips had felt far too real, and her admission even more so. His hand slid under the blankets to the tag she had bound her chakra to. It was only a dream, she felt close because of the tag, he still had a fever…he tried to reason it all out as the rain continued its assault on the windows, walls, and roof, the deafening sound brought slow calm to him, if only for a short while.

_It had to be a dream, there's nothing else it could be._ He was feverish and delusional, that had to be it. After all, he would have noticed if Tenten had feelings for him. They shared a bond of deep camaraderie, but they were teammates, best friends, and nothing more. There was no love in their relationship.

Shaking his head, he laid back down and pulled the blankets over his sweat soaked body. It was just a dream, nothing more than the already exhausted body producing hallucinations in its fevered state. He buried the seed of doubt deep within his consciousness and closed his eyes. There was no way that Tenten loved him; no matter what his dreams said.

_Ping. Ping. Ping. Ping. Ping._

Clear across town, Tenten had broken into a non-secure building. The rain continued its assault on the windows and roof while she carefully looked around the warehouse. There were huge crates, mostly unmarked, piled all over the place, some with a tarp stretched over them. Everything had collected a thick layer of dust.

There was nothing an assassin hated more than having to cover their tracks because a cleaning crew decided a building wasn't worth their effort, but from the looks of things, no one would be coming by anytime soon. The window had been easy to open from the outside, and with all the crates, she noted, it was a decent place to hide for a short period of time.

_Plip. Plip. Plip._

The smallest sound had her eyes scanning the room, and she wished for a moment, that she could just borrow Neji's. The sound was distant, soft, and most certainly water. There was a leak somewhere, falling on a stone surface. It was probably on the ground floor she reasoned, her eyes falling on dark, old metal stairs. She slouched slightly and sighed to herself. _Yay, nothing of interest so far. Fantastic da-_

A creak from the lower level gave her pause.

"Yeah move it over there." She heard a voice below call before another creak made her blood run cold. Footsteps not far from the stairs carried up to her.

"Damn these stupid things are heavy." Another voice answered with a collection of responses in the agreement. Tenten didn't recognize any of them and she moved slowly, and silently behind one of the stacks of crates. "You hear something?"

_"_Yeah rain, lots of it." Was the sarcastic reply. Whoever had answered, reminded her of Neji when he was annoyed. "That or a bird has a nest in here, wouldn't be the first time. Come on now, Nobaru's gonna kick our asses if we take too long."

Tenten leaned a bit closer to the boxes.

"Yeah yeah…" A creak, and then a thud, followed by her heavy sigh of relief. She had hidden behind a stack of crates with a tarp stretched over it and a few others. Even if someone had come up, she would have been in the empty space between the stacks that was hidden by the tarp. She carefully dusted off the side of the crate.

It was marked like all crates generally were, a picture in each corner_…This side up, Fragile…and…_She blinked. _Biohazard? Great…I'm in a biohazard storage facility, fan-freaking-tastic._ She pulled out her scrolls again and located her tool summons. Only seconds later she was prying the lid off as quietly as possible. No one would see this crate under the tarp anyway. The lid creaked open and she paused.

She could hear the drops of water falling to the stone floor of the base level and reason set in. No bio-hazard storage facility was this badly protected or cared for. She wedged the lid up a bit higher and peeked inside, and at last, her day had paid off. Her eyes lit up.

Files.

From top to bottom the entire box was filled with dusty files. Not pausing to take the side of caution she pulled one out. It was marked with numbers, and of course, stamped boldly across the front, was the magic words, 'TOP SECRET.'

She flipped through the pages. There were names, lots of them, she even recognized a few, along with personal data on each person.

They'd have to look over it later she decided. She began the complex work of binding the object to a blank scroll. It would only be accessible by her, and that would ensure it remained well hidden. It would take about twenty minutes to create, so she made herself comfortable and listened to the thundering storm outside, silently hoping that Neji had obeyed her orders to rest.

Far beneath the feet of a curious kounichi, were hundreds of people. Some had gathered around small pit fires for cooking, others were crying still over lost family, some children were playing with the few things they had on them during the storm.

Taiki watched most of the children silently while he waited for some shinobi to return from their work. A little girl was showing two others her doll. One little boy had a tiny cat that he had saved from the flood before they were rescued, and the children were playing mostly with the cat and doll in turns. His eyes slid shut and he heaved a quiet sigh. There were seven more confirmed deaths since dawn. The rain was not letting up, and a local merchant had shut down her store for the day to bring extra supplies to the shelters. Overall, the village had sustained little damage.

"Taiki-san, the ones you sent to move those old solved cases files from the police department finished and have returned. They said the warehouse has a leak somewhere, again though."

Again the blonde sighed. "We'll deal with it when the storm ends. How many new cases are they taking up?"

"Only a few, why though?"

"Let Nobaru know that we have a possible murder case on our hands. There was evidence of a murder in the lower villages, they tried to use the storm as cover, I want his unit on it. I know I'm just in immigration, but I don't want a murderer hiding here in these shelters or roaming our village streets. I don't like admitting it, but Nobaru's unit is far more effective at locating threats to the village than any other. My people are all here helping in the shelters, do this favor for me alright, and stop calling me 'Taiki-san,' Haru."

The jounin boy laughed. "You got it. I'll get right on it Taiki. Try to rest though, you're still worn out." The young male answered before vanishing, leaving only pale blue eyes watching the place he had been standing.

Far above him, and entirely unbeknownst to Taiki, Tenten finished creating the seal on her blank scroll, which to her displeasure, was the easy part. Her hands worked through a long intricate sequence of seals. It would take a lot of chakra, she reminded herself, and the chances of her being caught were high, even if the village was practically deserted. _No choice though. We can't risk coming back here endlessly to read a file that might disappear in all this clutter. _Her blood dripped onto the file cover and she smeared it around quickly into an intricate seal, smaller, and identical to the one on her scroll. Her eyes lit up with pride when the seal glowed eerily for a second after it dried, and she could feel a steady pulse of her own chakra binding the item.

That was what made her nervous. It would take a few minutes for the seal to effect the entire object, at which time her chakra would be noticeable to anyone in the immediate vicinity. Once complete though, she would be able to execute a few hand seals and the object would vanish, filling in the large seal with the smaller one. She made notes on the side of the large seal on the scroll while she waited. Within a moment her notes faded from sight, and would respond in the future only to her chakra.

She waited and counted the minutes in her head. She only had about fifteen minutes before she had to return home. The file would take about ten of them to absorb the seal entirely and be bound to her chakra. It would take another minute or two to make the file appear to vanish and contain itself within the scroll. In that time, any number of people could pass by…any number of people…

"Shit Haru." Nobaru let himself fall to another desperate kiss before pushing the pretty jounin away from him. "You in heat or something? I thought-" Nobaru was interrupted by another harsh kiss to the lips, gasping for breath as he experienced what felt like his tongue being swallowed.

"I thought I told you no more sex until I'm done with the Takimura case."

The jounin laughed slightly, soaked black hair plastered to his face. "Still want that Tsubasa guy? Or you still hoping Taiki will come around?" Haru had only tracked down Nobaru initially to pass on Taiki's information, but...well...stress...and who turned down an attractive wet male?

"Now, you know I love every member of the beautiful male species, but I do have a few favorites I'm holding out for." Nobaru returned, pinning Haru to the tunnel wall and shoving his knee between the younger jounin's legs. "We're in the middle of a mini crisis here sweetheart. Surely you didn't manage to squirrel yourself away for a fuck in the dark, did you?"

"Taiki's got a murder possibly on our hands, he wants your team looking into it. That was all I was supposed to tell you." Haru's cocky smirk flashed in the faint light. "Raikage wants it taken care of immediately, Taiki's worried the murderer might be in the shelters, or somewhere in the village, security is so lax because of this storm after all."

"Is that so?" Nobaru leaned forward, teething Haru's ear and giving it the sharp little tug that he knew would draw that needy little gasp, before pulling away. "Thanks for the mission report. Go track down the other three members of my team and tell them to meet up with me in 24C, will ya babe? I'm gonna go do a quick check over the documentation buildings and the lab center near here before going there myself." He blew a kiss and headed towards the closest building the tunnel lead to from their location.

Haru laughed and headed back to the main shelter, his team had only recently come back from search and rescue and most were on a rest shift with Nobaru's it wouldn't be hard to track them down, but he threw a glance over his shoulder. He thought he felt chakra for just a moment...amber eyes closed and he shrugged. He was probably just imagining things.

Humming a little song to himself, Nobaru made his way down the tunnel. He didn't expect to find anything; the buildings had been empty for years after all. Halfway into the sweep of the third building, he paused a moment. Chakra? Was he really feeling chakra in this dusty oversized filing cabinet? It had only been a flicker, but worth a closer look. Suppressing his own chakra, he made his way silently to the upper levels.

Tenten had been waiting, waiting, waiting, and finally it was done. The seal had fully absorbed. Her chakra vanished. She heard the plips of water on the lower levels, and thought she heard something else. Had the door creaked a bit? She was sure she had felt chakra for a moment...She suppressed her own immediately. Assassins instincts, she told herself. Better safe than sorry.

Nobaru gave the area of quick once over, keeping his eyes out for the slightest movement, the slightest hint of chakra. Nothing. Not a single thing. He couldn't even spot a smudge in the layer of dust and grime about the area; though a part of him noticed the window was leaking water again. He was tempted to leave and hurry out...but he couldn't push away his feeling that something just wasn't right.

Tenten remained still and silent. Her suppressed chakra would have to be enough. She was entirely out of sight from all angles, so were her things, still, the chakra she felt, despite its very best attempts at suppression was without a doubt, belonging to Nobaru. Nobaru got a bit closer to the spot where Tenten was hiding. She could hear his steps inching closer to her.

It was odd, Nobaru noted, that the water had dripped down so far. He got closer, but still couldn't see or feel a thing. Were his senses playing tricks on him? "Damn it Nobaru, you are letting Taiki ride your ass too hard if you're starting to sense imaginary chakra." He kicked a box, waiting for a reaction. The only thing he got was his earpiece shrieking in his ear. "Nobaru here? What's the status Satoshi?"

"A near murder in the B level of the relief tunnels. The enemy is a rogue missing nin on the run. Miyuki and Kasumoto are after him but that guy's got wings or something. He's getting away from us. Assistance would be a great thing now boss man." The panicky voice shouted over the COM link. Nobaru resisted the urge to roll his eyes. Satoshi was always quick to call for backup when civilians were involved.

"Got cha 'toshi. I'm heading for the C tunnels now. Slow him down and I'll intercept, understand?" Even as he gave orders, he darted from the building. He'd send someone else to clean up with the water drip and to make sure the information was still secure.

Tenten remained still, despite what her natural reaction would have been. She silently thanked years of training for this exact thing. She couldn't hear all of Nobaru's conversation, but apparently there was a murder somewhere. In the tunnels did she hear? _So there are tunnels connecting the lower shelters to the upper village..._ She remained painfully still for a few minutes, making sure Nobaru was gone before performing one last hand seal and rolling up the scroll, file included. Tenten crawled out of her space carefully and painstakingly shifted the dust with a weak jutsu before transporting herself to the window and sneaking back out into the storm. She ran as fast as she could, not stopping for a thing, taking each road out of sight...until- She slowed down near their house.

There was a faint, pitiful crying, and she bent down near a bush. It was not like her to stop when she was in a hurry but... "A kitten?" It would drown in the flooding garden if she left it. _Something is seriously wrong with me today._ She told herself picking it up and hurrying home, well aware that she would be about three minutes late, and she'd never hear the end of it from Neji.

There were many, many things in life Neji did not enjoy. He did not enjoy the color green. He did not like loud people, annoying people, stupid people, young people, old people, and people in general. He did not like getting wet; or having to waste hours trying to get his hair to lay straight without doing something as impossibly girly as asking Hinata to borrow her hair straightener. He didn't like when missions didn't go to plan. He had accepted long ago that a mission very seldom goes by plan but that didn't make him hate it any less.

What he especially hated, was when one of his teammates were in danger. Ever since that mission to bring Sasuke back that failed years ago; even though he had been one of the ones most drastically hurt, even though he hadn't been the leader; he couldn't stand the idea of loosing a teammate. If Tenten was hurt because he had failed as a leader…

_I let her out, alone, and unguarded, and now she's running late, she should have been back 5 minutes ago…_Fighting the slight twitch his fingers gave he gripped the cool edges of the porcelain sink, Neji forced himself to take some deep breaths.

It was only ten minutes.

Tenten was a strong and perfectly capable ninja. This was a simple scouting mission when most of the village was helping with the storm. Tenten knew when she was in over her head and would not fail to abandon her position if she thought it was in danger of being compromised. He knew that she was more than capable of disposing of her enemies and leaving no evidence, she specialized in assassinations for crying out loud!

Even that couldn't keep that tiny voice in the back of his head (which sounded annoyingly like Ino for some reason), from saying that something had gone wrong and that he should go out and save Tenten from being gutted by Nobaru or some other random enemy nin.

The voice then went on to say that he should stop clinging to the sink like a wimp, let go of it, and go out save Tenten already! Neji would have paid his inner Ino a bit more attention if he didn't think he was going to pass out on the ground the moment he let go of the one thing holding him up in his fevered state.

There was a strong crash of thunder that masked the sound of the window sliding open and closed. Tenten grabbed one of the folded towels she had yet to put away that was still in their room and dried herself, and the soaked kitten off a bit before looking to the bed. It was a mess...the pillow had been kicked aside...the tag with her bound chakra was in the bathroom and...apparently, so was Neji. She headed down the hall and poked her head into the bathroom. "Sorry I'm late...thought I told you to stay in bed."

"I was in bed, then I got out of bed." Neji mumbled, crushing his inner Ino. "How did it go?" He still had yet to let go of the sink. He would once the room stopped spinning.

Tenten didn't answer, but she gave him that stern, annoyed look that she rarely displayed. She tugged off a damp glove and let it fall on the sink before feeling his head. "Fever's up again. Not as bad as last night, you should be able to sleep this off." She removed her other glove and moved past him. "Sit down before you fall and hurt yourself." She unbuttoned her jacket and untied her soaked hair before letting the jacket slide off. She held it over the tub to wring out the water. "Nobaru almost found me, that's what kept me. I guess I'm a bit better than he is, he didn't find me."

"He didn't locate you?" _Thank the gods for small favors._ Seeing as the room had gone from swaying madly to a gentle rocking sensation, Neji let go of the sink and took a few test steps. He was fine until his foot brushed something small and furry that bit him. "Tenten…What on earth is that?"

"He was going to drown in a flooding garden, couldn't leave him you know?" She turned and picked up the cat, forgetting she was only in the bindings around her chest and her pants. The tiny, soaked kitten purred at her touch. "Don't know why I stopped, it's the first time I ever cared to..." She laughed quietly. "Guess I'm going soft here."

"Too soft." Neji grumbled making his way back to the bed. "You're letting it out once the storms stop."

"Am not!" Tenten called back tugging her soaked pants off and wringing the water out of them. She grabbed a small towel and took the kitten to the bedroom with her. "He's just a baby, he'll die out there. Probably already lost his entirely family in the storm." She sat on the edge of the bed noticing the color of the kitten. He was slightly dirty, but was for sure pale grey and white. The kitten had bright happy blue eyes.

"You're not keeping a cat Amaya." He muttered, going back to code names, even though he knew there was no one around, as he covered his head. "I hate animals and am not going to live with one."

"I'm not letting him go back out there. You're going to have to deal with it, especially if you want to see what I got."

_"_A litter pan for him?" Neji asked. Pulling away the covers to peek.

Tenten reached over and tugged the covers off him. Sure she was sitting nearly naked on the bed, but he had never once noticed the scroll in her hand, until she shook it lightly at him. "I nearly got caught, don't you want to know what I nearly got caught collecting?"

"What did you find?" Neji sat up a bit too fast, and steadied himself a moment before studying the scroll. He hadn't actually been expecting her to find anything important in the first few hours of actually looking.

Tenten unrolled the scroll and cut her finger on a kunai. Her blood swiped across the seal and with a burst of her chakra, the file appeared on top of the scroll. "I couldn't get into the building you wanted me to get into. It has insane defenses. The old warehouse I've been looking at though? Terrible security. None really. I found this in a crate there."

"Information on ninja from all over the world?" He asked, flipping through a few files. There were countless reports from around the world. "They were just lying in crates? Not locked away?" It wasn't too unusual to have records of foreign nin. All countries had them; though they were usually kept top secret. No, it was the placement of the files that struck him as odd.

_"_They were in crates marked as biohazardous I think it's extra storage space. There are tunnels from that building to others. So much of this village is underground Neji. More than we thought."

"They could have an entire city underneath us; and no visiting nin would have any idea unless they knew about the tunnels." Neji murmured, thinking carefully. It was interrupted by a pathetic squeak and a sudden wetness on his sleeve. He looked down at the fuzz ball nibbling on his sleeve. "I think your pet wants fed."

Tenten smiled and picked up the kitten before looking at Neji again, concern apparent in her eyes. "You didn't sleep much did you? Even though I told you to."

"I had fever induced dreams that included Lee in a wedding dress. Suffice to say, I didn't sleep very long."

Tenten's eyes seemed to glow. It was one of those things that all men dreaded, when a woman knew they were lying. "Ok...don't tell me, I won't pry. Obviously something private..."

"What do you mean private? Are you implying something Tenten?" He asked, a bit afraid that she knew exactly what he had dreamt about.

"You don't want me to know about it, whatever it was." She said quietly scratching the kitten's ear to distract it from hunger for a few seconds. "Not sure why, but I can tell when you just aren't telling me something." She pushed a strand of hair back behind her ear and pushed off from the bed. Her steps slow and steady to the door. "It's ok...I have my secrets too. You don't need to tell me everything Neji. I just hope it wasn't half as bad as Lee in a dress."

"Go take care of your drowned rat Tenten." Neji grumbled rolling over to hide his red ears. Tenten did know something was up, but thankfully she didn't know what.

She smiled and walked down the hall getting the cat a tiny saucer of warm milk and some leftover meat torn up to chew on. When he seemed content she went back to the room and sat down. "I was scared you know." She thought of when Nobaru had nearly found her. "Almost panicked...almost tried to signal to you with my chakra." She ran the towel through her hair a few times and sighed to herself. Years of training told her she had reacted correctly. She remained calm...but it didn't stop her heart from pounding wildly when Nobaru nearly found her. It didn't stop it from pounding now. "Don't tell me you've been holding on to that thing the whole time..." Her hand slid under the covers and pulled the tag from his hand lightly. She could feel her chakra fading from it.

"I wasn't cuddling it. I don't sleep like you Tenten." Neji harrumphed, pulling the blanket to his neck. He wouldn't admit that he slept with it next to him, feeling Tenten's chakra like a child looking at his night light. "You did well on your mission, Tenten." There were just some things he would take to his grave.

* * *

AN: sooooo so sorry again about the delay, between injury, allergy, and flu (and we wrote this chapter a lot differently!) it was hard to make some time to do this!! HOPEFULLY....errors are minimal here, fanfics docpreview adamantly refuses to save any of my formatting and made the entire thing a massive run-on sentence. (I give up! I've done what I can to fix it!) Hopefully ...everything...looks decent. Kigen and I had to write almost all of this solo. Meaning...I wrote a lot of it solo. Kigen is proud of me though. Even gave me cookies for my hard work! We hope you enjoy!!! We're currently working on the next chapter so we'll try to get it up soon! Thank you all for your patience!


	16. Chapter 16

**Disillusioned**

By: Faraway Dawn & Kigen

Disclaimer: We still don't own anything but this apparently brilliant idea of ours, fall is in full swing, I have lots of cider, and have the writing bug again. This is the longest chapter posted so far. Haha, don't say I didn't warn you!

**Chapter 16**

Nobaru's team moved quickly through the tunnels and still... "This is useless, every time we get close he gets away." Kasumoto cursed. "Level fifteen C is clear. Man where the hell is Haru when you need him?"

"Taiki's team is securing the shelters, they've probably moved Haru's team to protect the researchers." Came the static filled response from Miyuki. "B sector is clear. All facilities and floors are secure Nobaru."

"Satoshi said A sector stayed clear as well." Nobaru paused, frowning. "E's clear too. He's getting too close to the inner levels... Miyuki, keep a look out on all tunnels leading to areas F and above. Kasumoto, start your sweep with the lower levels of sector D. I'll scout the higher levels." There was no way he'd allow that thing to make its way into the heart of the village underground system.

"Nobaru, should we relay the information to Haru's team? I'm sure if the guy got close enough they could take care of him, but they're going to need time to prepare." Kasumoto answered placing a few well hidden traps to detect chakra used in the tunnels. He heard Miyuki curse over the line about the trouble this guy was causing. Even how hard it was to believe someone with such skill had gone unnoticed so long in the lower villages.

"Do it. I don't plan on him making it that far though." Nobaru sprung open a hidden wall that would allow him to use the short cut to sector D's highest levels. "Tell them that protecting the scientists is their highest priority at the moment, and find out if Satoshi discovered anything else about the murder from A sector. If this guy's been here for so long, someone would have had to have seen something; anything would be useful now."

Miyuki pressed lightly against a wall and moved to her new post. She grumbled the entire way. "Taiki's report is in. Everyone is present and accounted for except, an orphan named Isuri. He's about fifteen according to the reports. Had a violent streak according to the head of his village." Miyuki paused. "Oh fuck..."

"Fuck what? Do you see something Miyuki?" Nobaru turned on his heel, heading towards the F level.

"Stay out of the sector! The tunnels are trapped. Wires everywhere, explosives. If this tunnel collapses, it's going to damage the research facility and the lowest hospital wing." Miyuki cursed violently. "He was here. I'll disarm what I can."

"I gave them strict orders to subdue him, sedate him if need be and leave him to me." Haru answered, watching the researches fidget under his watchful gaze. No one really liked the researchers in the village, but there was potential. "I know how you feel, I want to know how this kid flew under the radar so long." His eyes narrowed at the door. "I want to know how we didn't know about this."

"Same, but I can tell you it'll be a hell of a fun time interrogating him" Nobaru smirked as he made his way through the dark tunnels. He suppressed his chakra, not wanting to give his opponent the slightest advantage. He knew from the reports that the kid was strong, violent, and had a master ability with traps, but there had to be something else to him

There was a distinct crackle of annoyance on the com. Miyuki was cursing about the traps, Kasumoto was frustrated, Satoshi reported sightings of the kid getting closer to the research facility. "Last year wasn't half as interesting." Haru's feral smile caused a few of the female researchers to sigh dreamily, and the males to shoot him nervous glances.

"Please, you're just excited over having some fresh meat to torment." Nobaru chuckled silently, though he had to agree. What with his position of guarding the research faculty and such, he really hadn't had much time or opportunity to go into the field like this. The most exciting thing that had happened since the researchers came was getting to ogle over Tsubasa. A slight twinge of chakra made him glance down one darkened hall. He silenced his COM link, not giving away anything about his position. Lurking, he waited. This kid might have good, but he had no idea what he was up against.

Taiki paced the shelters. There were already several severely injured jounin from some kid that had slipped by the village's detection for years. Nobaru and Haru would be able to handle everything, he was sure, but still... There were whispers, fears, and he was grateful that the civilians in the upper village had no idea of the chaos below.

The corridor between F15 and F16 shook violently. Nobaru's eyes lit up with excitement. "You are one heck of a kid squirt. Takes some serious balls to pull what you did in your village, and some skill to get past all the jounin you did."

The boy, known as Isuri only laughed. What did jounin in a big safe village know about the abilities of the common folk in the farms? Did they honestly think that people the common person could do nothing? Did they honestly expect that EVERYONE was loyal to the village?

Then there was the blast. Nobaru swore when the kid took the opportunity to disappear for a few minutes. The passage behind him caved in, it would take weeks to repair. He blocked the sharp blow to his side and knocked the kid back against a wall. "You're playing with fire kid. Just surrender so we don't have to take you in, in chains."

"What a nice touch that would be!" The hallway was flooding. The boy had used a water jutsu and Nobaru did what he could to stop the damages. There was so much, the tunnels were sealed, and it was rising too fast. When had all the exits been sealed anyway!? "You people are so pathetic, you think your ranks mean something!" The boy's mocking tone rang clear over the surge of water. "Then a disaster comes your way, and you find out that some people don't give a damn about the village. Some people don't care about anything but survival!!!"

Nobaru admitted, only one thing. The kid, was really good. The water covered his head and his arms and legs had been bound with wire, sometime in the amount of time the kid had started talking. The wires were rigged to the tunnel walls, and to them, explosives. _Pain in the ass brat. _He thought aware that if he moved he'd destroy the tunnels and possibly kill people in the process, without a doubt he'd die himself when the tunnel collapsed. He tried not to laugh at himself. His breath would give out in a few minutes…_What a pathetic way to go. To a brat, and like this? _

It didn't make any sense…none at all…

Nobaru's eyes snapped open a few moments later. He was heaving in great gulps of air and in front of him was Haru. The boy Isuri, crumpled on the ground, his screams echoing through the very open, very undamaged tunnel. "Genjutsu?" He coughed out glaring at the kid.

"The water jutsu was very real, it was a water prison, the rest of it wasn't." Haru answered calmly. The genjutsu specialist kept the boy subdued until a pair of ANBU arrived. "Get him to interrogation one. Nobaru and I will take care of him, let Taiki know the shelter is secure, he can take it off of lockdown." His fingers quickly streamed over a security access panel and the tunnel doors opened with a light shake. "I don't like this kid…I don't like him at all." He muttered as security lights from the other tunnels lit up the corridor.

"I just want to know how he got past all that security." Nobaru grumbled getting to his feet. He didn't like that Haru had to come to the rescue, but it was the least of his concerns. Even the Takimuras hundreds of feet above them were a minor concern for now.

Neji lay awake for hours. He was exhausted, dizzy, and his fever was back; making him look like he was eternally blushing. He had considered sleeping once Tenten came back, he knew she was safe, and that the mission was going as planned. For a while it looked like he was quickly on his way to dreamland. He was just starting to drift off when Tenten crawled into bed with him.

Now, this was nothing new; Neji reminded himself. He had been sleeping in the same bed as Tenten for weeks now because of the mission. He had spent many nights in her bed when he needed to get away from home; and slept near her during missions. He had even allowed her to go undisturbed once when she fell asleep on his shoulder during an extremely long winded story/lesson/reenactment of god knows what, preformed by Gai and Lee when they were still genin.

Then suddenly he became aware of something. There was a half naked female sleeping next to him. One that he had known for many years and was pretending to be married to, and that hadn't ever given him so much as a second thought …until that stupid dream with stupid fake Tenten, making stupid fake confessions about love. Suddenly the entire situation was awkward.

Neji jolted into full awareness as Tenten laid down beside him, hypersensitive to her every breath and movement.

"You ok?" She muttered. Neji was alert...too alert...for someone so sick. She shifted under the covers, the kitten curling up near her pillow, and had she known about the thoughts on Neji's mind, perhaps she would have turned red when her bare leg brushed against his. "Try to sleep ok?" She said quietly lying her head down on her pillow and shifting closer to him. "You're still really warm, so sleep it off."

"I'm fine Tenten, I assure you. I'm just a bit... high strung at the moment." He chose his words carefully as he did his best not to look like he was scurrying away from Tenten's sudden closeness.

Tenten sat up. Her hair fell over her shoulders and she titled her head to the side. "You've...been acting a bit strange since I got back, you sure nothing's wrong?" The kitten on her pillow was already fast asleep, purring quietly. She could still hear the howling wind and the steady thunder. The rain still as strong as it was earlier in the day.

"Just feeling ill. You know how I am when I feel nauseous." That wasn't a complete lie. He hated being nauseous with a passion. Nothing was more disgusting and humiliating than throwing up when ill, and with all the twisting his stomach was suddenly doing, he did feel a bit on the queasy side.

Tenten sighed and reached over to the table on her side of the bed. "Yeah I figured we'd be needing this." She held out a cup of tea. "Ginger tea, it will help with the nausea."

"Thank you." He took the cup, leaning back and sipping it slowly. Truthfully the tea wasn't helping him at all, but since his nausea stemmed from another place; he could pretend for a while. Once the tea was gone, he set the cup on his bedside table and laid down. "Good night Tenten."

"Good night, Neji." She said quietly before lying down beside him. Her hand scratched the kitten's back lightly and she drifted off to sleep, for the first time, not in Neji's arms.

Neji waited until Tenten's breath evened out before he relaxed enough to close his own eyes.

Neji was smiling, there was a warm, soft bundle in his arms. It was making soft little cooing noises as it waved one tiny hand in the air. Neji stroked the child's face; his smile growing a little wider as that tiny hand wrapped around one of his fingers and gurgled. The baby made him feel inexplicably happy. Despite Kiba's claim that he regularly ate babies; he actually quite enjoyed them when they were being quiet and not spitting up. After all, babies were pure and innocent and rather cute; though he would never admit that out loud.

However, there was something special about this baby, he was certainly a Hyuuga; those pearl white eyes couldn't belong to anyone else. He didn't recognize the child as any of his numerous cousins. Besides, there was something else, something even more familiar that he couldn't quite place his finger on. Maybe it was something about the face. There was something very familiar about the nose, about that downy brown hair that was a few shades lighter than his own, and the warmth that flooded him when the child smiled.

"Is he being good for you?" Neji turned to the female voice behind him. Tenten was smiling at the two of them, standing in the doorway.

"Hasn't cried or fussed at all." Neji answered, shifting the babe higher, to rest against his shoulder as Tenten came closer.

"That's our boy." She leaned down kissing both the babe and Neji's cheeks. "Such a good baby... I can't believe he's really ours; that we made him together. Can you Neji? It's so hard to believe sometimes isn't it? Our angel…" Her voice was soft, and spoke in a nearly awed tone. "Ours."

_Our angel?_

Flailing in the blankets, Neji sat up; startled he looked around for the baby, only to find the drowned rat kitten licking his finger. He glared daggers at the kitten, who just mewed and went back to licking his hand.

Sighing and grumbling silently, he turned to Tenten who he prayed was still sleeping. Tenten shifted closer to Neji but remained asleep, her forehead rested against his shoulder, and her hand had found itself a place on his arm. The kitten, pleased that it had woken at least one of them up, slid down the pillow to curl up next to Tenten, yet again. She mumbled a bit in her sleep, the only coherent thing out of her mumbles was very distinctly his name, and she only shifted closer afterward.

Letting out an audible sigh of relief. Neji sank back onto the sheets. It was just another very strange, fever induced dream. He noticed however, that Tenten was waking up.

Her dream had been the same for a few nights, each time she'd wake up nearly in tears, and grateful that Neji was always fast asleep when she did. Just like each time before, her eyes snapped open and she sat up abruptly, her hands wiping her eyes immediately. It wasn't just a dream after all, it was a memory. She heard the kitten mew and glanced at her side. This time...well...this time Neji wasn't asleep.

Her dream had been the same for a few nights, each time she'd wake up nearly in tears, and grateful that Neji was always fast asleep when she did. Just like each time before, her eyes snapped open and she sat up abruptly, her hands wiping her eyes immediately. It wasn't just a dream after all, it was a memory. She heard the kitten mew and glanced at her side. This time...well...this time Neji wasn't asleep.

"Are you alright Tenten?" Neji sat up, visibly concerned at the expression on her face. He actually reached out and smoothed her hair in a soothing gesture, very unlike him.

"Y-Yeah." She stared down at the covers when she felt his touch. "Fine, just a bad dream, that's all." She gripped the covers tightly and tried to get a hold of herself. She had dreamt it again. The day she came home from Suna with Kankuro and Temari, escorting the Kazekage. They had been made jounin, and so had Neji. He had been happy to see her, and she had all but tackled him. Even with her so close, well inside his comfort zone, he had smiled...

It was the only time before their mission she had kissed him, and it was only on the cheek. She told him she was proud of him, and that she had to take care of some things, she'd meet up with him later. It was Lee she went to see and proceeded to break down to. It was one secret Lee swore to carry to the grave, the day she told him that she loved Neji. Tenten blinked a few more times.

"I'm fine." She said again. It was the only time Lee had ever seen her cry.

A nightmare, that had to be it. Neji agreed, ignoring his own sudden need to keep Tenten at arms length from his confused psyche, he laid down on the bed with Tenten, and held her in his arms. "It was only a dream Tenten. Go to sleep; you'll be fine."

"I think I'm just stressed, I think there was a murder during the storm, I'm probably just worried about that, and those boxes at the bottom of the files." She referred to boxes marked 'sample' and the pair that followed marked 'acquired' or 'pending.'

"You're fine." Neji repeated, holding her a little tighter so he'd feel more secure. "Just relax and go to sleep Tenten. Everything is going better than planned. There's nothing to worry about."

"There's plenty to worry about." She mumbled, ignoring her rational thought telling her to keep her distance from him for the night. She pressed herself closer to him, admitting to herself that he was the only person who ever made her feel safe.

"But they can't hurt us right now. They don't know about us." Neji wasn't used to giving comforting speeches. All he knew was that it would be best to hold her and tell her it'd be fine. Even though it was making his heart pound and his stomach shudder, it would be the best thing to continue doing.

So why is your heart pounding then? It isn't your fever, your temperature is almost back to normal." She muttered. "Something's got you worked up." She figured, that it was the implication that their current village did in fact already have the DNA of Uchiha Itachi, along with various other shinobi.

"Took medicine while you were gone." Neji lied, forcing himself to calm down. "You know over the counter decongestives raise blood pressure and heart rate."

"Neji, we don't have any medicine in the house." She whispered, resting her head against his chest. "I thought...you didn't make excuses." She smiled before closing her eyes and trying to sleep.

Neji sputtered indignantly, ignoring the giggles that Tenten had the grace to muffle into her pillows. A part of him wanted to say Nobaru stopped by and offered said medication; but they both knew Neji would never willing take any kind of drug Nobaru gave him... or even open the door for that matter. "Good night Tenten." Neji rolled over with all the dignity he could muster.

Tenten bit back her last bit of laughter and tugged him by the shoulder. She pushed him onto his back and lowered her face almost to his. Her fingers pushed aside his bangs and she tried not to smirk at his wide eyes. "Good night Neji." She whispered before returning to her pillow and the kitten that had snuck back in.

Sadist, a freaking sadist. She had to know what his dream had been about; she had to have learned a mind reading jutsu. He was almost willing to go as far as to say that the fever induced were really genjutsu, with the way she was toying with him. Turning his back to her once again, he curled up under the covers and prayed that he would fall asleep before something else happened.

Hundreds of feet below the surface of the village itself, the boy Isuri finally sat in the interrogation chair, looking beat up but little worse for wear. He leaned back, mindless of the thick ropes that kept him in place. "That's all the jounin of this village has got? No wonder lightning nation ninja are so looked down upon." He smirked, waiting for one of them to give the slightest opportunity to get himself free.

Haru's eyes barely registered so much as a flicker of emotion. "You're fifteen boy?"

"For the next three months." The kid replied, tilting his head back to stare impatiently at the ceiling.

"If we hold off three months, it'll be legal to execute him." Nobaru muttered, scribbling out some paperwork as he glared darkly at the teen. "I say tying him naked atop of mound of fire ants, covered in honey is a bit primitive, but a reasonable fate."

"Not cruel enough. This kid killed a young girl during a storm, butchered her." Haru mumbled.

"Bitch's own fault. Lived next door to me. Annoyed me every waking moment with how loud she was. Finally shut her up though. She won't be screaming at her mother anymore." He smirked, chuckling to himself.

"Anything else in the report?" Nobaru asked, looking over Haru's shoulder. He was ignoring the boy for the moment, knowing it would annoy the child. His type always craved attention and acknowledgement of their deeds.

"Multiple reports from his village elder of robbery, arson, a few cases...of rape?" Haru quirked a brow. "Interesting record for such a young offender."

"Someone's been busy." Nobaru shut the file, turning to the teen. "What I want to know is how you got so deep into the tunnels. Some robbery and assault isn't anything that requires a lot of skill, but it takes a high level ninja to get past our security. How'd you do it?"

"Rot in hell." Isuri spat.

Haru smirked. "I want to know how he trapped Miyuki so easily. She's not exactly your common ninja. She's in line to join ANBU. Some say she could be the next Raikage if she'd only do her paperwork."

"Kages don't need to do paper work, look at the Hokage. She just needs to find someone to do it for her; maybe we can train Satoshi or something." Nobaru turned back to the kid. "How boy, who trained you? Someone had to teach you all those cleaver little tricks."

"Doesn't matter does it? I mean, I'm the one you're after." The boy smirked. Master? Who needed a master when basic ninja training from the academy and a bunch of stolen scrolls could teach him everything he ever needed to know? He wasn't blessed with his amazing brain for nothing.

Haru's eyes narrowed. The kid was smart, but still an open book. "He stole scrolls, he had basic training...so you're the reason team 14 never came back..."

"They didn't even know what happened until it was too late." The boy chuckled "It was pathetic really. you should train your men better if they can't even handle a kid with no headband."

Team 14. The tragedy of the Cloud village. A jounin, and his three genin had been sent on a low class mission. They never returned. Their headbands were found months later, stained with dry blood. It was assumed to be an assassination by the Akatsuki. "I'd say I was impressed, if I weren't disgusted." Haru spat. His younger sister was one of the genin that never returned.

"Hurt someone you know?" the boy smirked wider, a bright look suddenly in his eyes. "The one with the little girl with black hair and big green eyes? She was a fun one. Cried the entire time. A real screamer too kept calling for her onii-chan to save her; even after all her teammates and her teacher were dead."

Nobaru grasped Haru warningly when he saw the man tense. "Relax. You can have your fun with him later. There'll be plenty of time to exact revenge." He hissed lowly. If Haru went out on a tangent now; he wouldn't be able to find out how the boy got so far.

Haru resisted his urge to snap. He was known for being very calm when others would have snapped. This boy though was testing his patience, sort of like that Amaya woman tested Nobaru, only much worse. This boy made him want to use his genjutsu, the one the Raikage specifically forbade. The one so similar to the Uchiha prodigy's sharingan.

The boy laughed louder when he saw the ninja tense. So he had hit a nerve? "Tight little body she had too. Virgin. Not a surprise really-"

The boy was cut short when Nobaru leveled a kick to the head that left the boy seeing stars as He covered Haru's hands with his own so they couldn't make seals. "Shut your mouth boy, or you will regret it." He hissed, keeping Haru's trembling body from reaching over and shattering the boy's sanity.

Haru broke away from Nobaru a few moments later. "I agree, let's keep him alive for three months. I doubt I can do much damage to his mind, it's beyond repair already." His breathing was hoarse and his tone glacial. "Executing him though, I could make that go on for days."

Nobaru nodded, taking Haru by the shoulder and forcing him out of the room. "The boy's going to be put aside while we decide exactly how to deal with him. Until then, I want him under level five lockdown; at least one guard constantly until it is ordered otherwise. Make sure to give him a nice cell." Nobaru told the guard as he lead Haru down the halls and away from the insane brat.

Haru twitched. "Keep him under two guard watch, I want a genjutsu specialist from ANBU on hand always. To deal with the guard, incase the kid gets to them."

"Tell the Raikage I'll be back with the report once I deal with tying up a few loose ends." Nobaru added. He held on tightly to the ninja beside him. "Calm down. Getting worked up like this isn't going to help anything; you know that

"The kid is lucky you stopped me." Haru held up a bloody hand. His genjutsu required his blood to trigger, and once trapped in his genjutsu, the only way out was to force him to lose enough blood to pass out. One-on-one, there were very few ninja that would stand a chance, except another genjutsu specialist. "Fast eyes. The kid is very fortunate."

"We can't have you killing people however you like; no matter how much they deserve it, and how much I wanted you to do it to." Nobaru sighed, rubbing his temples. He welcomed the sudden excitement, yes; but now he rather that it had been a second flood than this. "You're off duty for at least forty-eight hours. I'll evaluate you myself after that to see if you're ready to get back on duty."

"I'm fine." Haru grumbled. "You are not my superior either Nobaru. If you want the Raikage to put me off duty for the time being, it's fine. I planned to take three days off anyway." He started to walk down the passage way. "I need time alone."

Nobaru sighed. A seething Haru wasn't a good thing; but not that he could be blamed for it at the moment." He leaned against the wall; waited until he could feel Haru's chakra leave the prison unit, and head through the rain for his own house. Shaking his head, he made his way to the Raikage's office. It looked like Taiki wasn't the only one he'd need to keep his eyes on the next few days.

Tenten was up early the next morning. She sat on the couch reading through the file, not wanting to wake Neji. The kitten occasionally pawed at the edge of the folder, or tried to dip its face into her tea. There were hundreds of pages to read through, and each one seemed worse than the last. There were boxes checked with confirmed procured 'samples' and if it meant what she thought it meant, it wasn't good at all. "Uchiha...Aburame..." Where the heck did they get those samples from anyway?? It wasn't like they were just sitting around in the open. The several pages on the Hyuuga made her the most nervous. There were notes stating the optimal sample target...and the picture next to the notes belonged to Neji. Ugh...this sucks...wish Anko had told us it was this bad.

Neji rolled over in the bed, frowning as he met cool blankets. His consciousness starting to make itself known; it took a minute to figure out it was the rain hammering against the house and not the pounding in his head that was making him feel dizzy. Shivering as he stood, he got out of the warm bed and made his way to the living room. Seeing Tenten on the couch, he plopped down next to her, peering over her shoulder with bleary eyes. "Have you found anything from the files so far?"

Tenten jumped slightly. "Morning." She shifted slightly to look at him and noted, with relief, that he seemed much better. "You look much better today." She smiled slightly and held up a few pages. "They've got 'samples' from multiple clans already, like we were told...they pretty badly want a Hyuuga," she held up the page on the Hyuuga clan. "looks like they want you specifically."

"I have mastered the byakugan, and would be much easier to acquire than Hiashi. Even though I have the seal, I would be the logical choice." He looked over the files that Tenten had already browsed through. "Uchiha, Inuzuka; Aburame... They have samples of all the ninja clans of Konoha." Neji said, a bit amazed by the sheer number. Even the Yamanaka clan was accounted for. "And the samples from the Uchiha aren't only of Sasuke and his brother. They've been collecting their intel for years." He breathed a bit amazed. This was obviously a long term project.

Tenten held up one obscure page. "I'm in here too. Sample is missing for obvious reasons." She and her father alone knew how their strange accuracy and perception worked. Even Neji, her best friend, had never been told exactly how it worked.

"They have a mole in Konoha." that was the only way that the village could have been infiltrated so fully. "How far back do the records go?" that'd give them some idea of how long this experiment had been going on.

Tenten looked through all the files. "The Konoha records go back about ten years. We were eleven when all these were gathered. The files from the Mist Village go back eight years, Suna's records are the most recent. However, Suna has more recent records of us too, which explains why the Konoha records are relatively up to date, give or take a few months to a year." She thumbed through the papers and handed them to Neji. "Looks like the started with the Stone. Moved to us, then the Mist, then the Sand. They spread it out over the course of a few years. Anko said that someone attacked Sunagakure. Said they were probably gathering samples." She sighed and pet the kitten at her side. "They probably used the same person...it's kind of hard to get into each of our respective villages so easily."

"Are there any records on this villages ninja? Or any newer record of the villages after the main intelligence gathering?" Neji thumbed through the papers. These were old papers; even the one from Suna were at least a year old. These had to be older files; abandoned by newer ones.

"The most recent pages I have right here. They're actually more recent than the records of Suna." She held up a stack of pages. "Filed within the last month or two. Some of them have information on shinobi from this village." She held up a page bearing a familiar face. "Nishiyama Taiki," She set down two other papers. "Shinobu Noboru, and Natsusame Haru. Medical ninjutsu and taijutsu specialist, combat ninjutsu specialist, and genjutsu specialist respectively."

"Let me see those." Neji took the understandably much thicker notes of the three, looking at Taiki's first. He flipped through several pages before pausing. While the basic information stats at the beginning were formatted like all the ones from the outer villages; the ones with the cloud nin were different. Rather than focusing on their abilities; they focused on possible secondary abilities that would compliment their ninja. "Lightning's using their own ninja as guinea pigs."

"This is the one that bugs me." She pointed to the page with the jounin named Haru. "See where it says they want to attempt to genetically duplicate the sharingan, and transplant his eyes?" Tenten shuddered. "This is like...seriously messed up stuff we're dealing with here. Look at the guy's genjutsu scores for crying out loud! Even Sasuke's scores aren't that high."

"Thankfully whatever they've done so far had a side effect that crippled his taijutsu and stunted his ninjutsu." While Haru's genjutsu had flourished, his taijutsu had stopped advancing, and his ninjutsu had become almost non-existent. "The process, whatever it is, isn't perfected yet." He said with a bit of relief. It would have created an army of super ninja if that was the case, although it looked like they were already on their way there

"Well it temporarily did damage," Tenten flipped a few note pages and read them to herself. "these notes also indicate that if they can genetically copy the sharingan and transplant it into his eyes, his ninjutsu and taijutsu will skyrocket. The preliminary tests...done on Taiki..." Tenten bit her lip. She sort of liked the dusty haired chuunin from immigration. "...show that they only have to make a few alterations to adjust Haru's abilities. Still...to test this...on their own ninja?"

"It makes more sense to use their ninja rather then get others. It would be a risk to their intel gathering. Also, a ninja of their own is the control in the experiment. They know much more about the genetics and characteristics of one of their own, it'd be risky using it on an enemy nin that was full of unknown variables. They could become an even more powerful opponent, and one with no loyalty if they escaped."

Tenten only nodded. Loyalty, obviously was a huge factor, her hands moved back to the page about her. "I can't imagine what would happen if they got a hold of one of us." Her fingers brushed across the notes under her name. The words felt like they were scrolling over in her mind multiple times. 'Heightened perception and accuracy, target known to accurately strike a target one hundred times in the exact same place. Target has been tested blindfolded, partially paralyzed, and under the effects of alcohol.' Tenten blinked a few times. "Wow, they really did do their research."

"Everything here is thorough. Amazingly so." He frowned at the report of kidnapping Hinata so many years ago. It had been that incident that had caused the death of his father. "It's a wonder they haven't found out who we are with this level of intel. We've barely even done anything to disguise ourselves."

The kitten mewed when Tenten nodded. Nobaru was suspicious of them, and had been from the start. Why hadn't they figured it out yet? "Neji...if you start to work for this village, they..." She didn't want to say it out loud. He knew, she could tell, exactly what she was thinking. If he began working for the village, it was only a matter of time before they might attempt to use him in the experiments. He was after all, supposed to be blind. If they could genetically construct a new sharingan, an entire eye or two surely wouldn't be that hard. "They might even try to get a sample of your DNA."

"We won't be here long enough for them to do that." Neji said firmly. Those thoughts had already passed through his head; especially since he was the ideal candidate for the byakugan and his DNA as clearly stated by the papers, was virtually priceless. "By the time that they feel safe enough to consider me usable material, our mission will be over and we'll have left here."

"I'm glad you're so sure." She said quietly, her hands released the paper regarding her abilities, and she stared at the kitten in her lap. His confidence was remarkable, especially when she felt so overwhelmed. She even admitted a twinge of fear for their situation. "...Why...why did they have to pick us for this?" She had heard the reasons over and over. They were good partners, they worked well together, they complimented each other in both combat and personality...they were best friends.

"We are best suited for the mission. We've long been teammates, partners; we work well together. We know what we're doing, and have a high success rate in our missions." He rubbed the kitten's head when it went after his fingers. "We'll succeed with this mission, no matter the cost."

"I know all that...but...why?" She wondered if he could tell she was afraid. He probably could, Neji was the only guy who could read her like a book, almost as well as Ino could, without getting inside her head.

"Because we'll do what must be done." He patted her shoulder awkwardly, offering the support he knew she needed at the moment. "That's all there is to it Tenten. We're ninja. We will complete our mission."

Tenten however slumped forward. Her head rested against his shoulder, and her hand gripped at his shirt. "I was scared...scared he'd find me, and I'm still scared that something is going to happen to you here. Y-You were so sick Neji." She vividly recalled when he had been returned to Konoha injured, then how she had held him for hours, freezing, hoping his fever would go down only a few days past. "I can't do something like this without you. I just...can't. If something-" She paused. "If something happened to you..." Tenten found herself hopelessly at a loss for words. _I don't know what I'd do Neji...I just don't know._

"If something happens to me; you would leave immediately and head back to Konoha." Neji said, rubbing her back reassuringly. A hand reached up to stroke her hair. He had really become a much more... physical person since taking his role as Tsubasa. "We are to complete the mission as best we can with as few losses as possible. If I were to die; you would leave."

"I can't just leave...just like that...and don't you dare lie to me and say you could just leave." She was even closer to him than she remembered, in fact, he was almost lying down now. She was very much on top of him. Years ago it would have earned her a look of annoyance, and probably a lecture about personal space.

"Of course not. If it happened to you; I would rescue you and take you back home... Possibly even save the fuzz ball as well if it doesn't grow up to be too annoying." He poked the kitten that was trying to climb up him and onto Tenten's back.

Then there was the burning question lingering.

"Why would you want me to leave you here? You...you already know I couldn't do it." Perhaps she was instinctually afraid of his answer, she buried her head further against his shoulder, taking some measure of comfort in how close they were at the moment.

"Because I would prefer it if you lived. Your life is... important to me." Neji spoke slowly, trying to choose the right words. "I'd rather you live with me gone instead of losing your life to save mine."

Her breathing temporarily stopped. Neji never said things like that to anyone. She lifted her head and shifted slightly to look at him. She had a few tears in her eyes. "Then you promise me right now, we'll both get out of here alive." She whispered harshly. "You can't ask me to leave you here to die for any reason, when I know you'd never leave me here to die." She bit her lip hard, blinked a few times and stared him directly in the eyes. "Promise me, Neji."

"I promise." Neji said, petting her hair. "I promise that we'll both get out of here alive. Now calm down. Everything is fine; we have plenty of time to plan before we do anything." He soothed, starting to feel uncomfortable with all the emotion. It tugged at a part of him that recalled how she was in his dream. Tenten was rarely so emotional. Easily more emotional than him, but hardly ever like this.

Tenten didn't move for the better part of fifteen minutes. The kitten was still trying to get onto her back, and she still was staring Neji directly in the eyes, trying to calm herself. She tried to use his confidence as an anchor of sorts for her emotions. She was afraid, he was calm, and whenever she had ever been nervous or edgy, he calmed her down. Neji however hadn't been sitting behind a box that was sharply kicked. His heart hadn't been racing, knowing that if Nobaru had lifted the tarp, he would have been located. "...I'd never be able to do this mission with anyone else. I'd have gone nuts by now with anyone else."

"Hm." He pet her hair, and batted the kitten away as it dug its sharp little claws into his skin through his shirt. "I can't see anyone being able to hold up the illusion as well as we have. We have a similar connection to lovers." He said, not paying the least bit of attention to his choice of words in his slightly uneasy state. "Though, if you had been put on this mission with Kiba or someone, I'm sure Nobaru would have given you much more peace then he is." He managed a small joke.

Tenten turned a bit red. They did have a connection similar to lovers, and even Neji could admit it. "If Kiba had been here with me, I wouldn't be walking out of it a virgin, and I'd probably be filing a rape charge or two when I got back to Konoha." She muttered.

"Most likely not. Despite the way, Kiba is the one in the middle. I hear that he takes quite well to direction when trained properly." Neji smirked hoping that would snap Tenten right out of her current mood.

He tried anyway. "Most guys take well to direction if they're trained properly. That's why I don't get along with them."

Neji thought of that comment a moment, turning it around in his head. Maybe it was the fever was making a comeback; or that the dreams had a deeper impact on him then he was willing to believe; but the way that sounded... "So you wish to be dominated in a relationship rather than dominate?"

Tenten turned exceedingly red at his question. "I'd...prefer taking turns I guess? I have an active imagination you know." Why the hell had Neji asked...that? Maybe she was getting sick.

"What are you thinking about Tenten?" He asked, looking at her red face. "Oh, I didn't realize that your imagination was that vivid." Neji allowed his lips a slight twitch into a smile. "That isn't what I meant. What I mean is that you would prefer to have someone to be your... grounding I suppose is the word; rather than be someone else's ground. You'd rather be held than hold."

Tenten felt herself grow more red. She had twisted what he said in her mind, not that she could help it, it was just the way it came out...either way, she had been caught! "I'm...I've always been more one of the guys, so few people realize I'm a woman." Her eyes finally broke from his. "Not many people would be able to tell just by being around me or talking to me, but...I'm not all that strong, I'm so reliant on..." She hesitated. She was reliant on him. "On someone else, to be confident, to be strong..."

"What does being a woman have to do with anything?" Neji sat up a little. Tenten was still leaning against him; but now he could get some feeling back into his arms. "You're a strong person Tenten, even you are a woman. Everyone needs someone to rely on; whether they're strong or not. Look at Sasuke and Naruto. No one can say the other's weak even in jest; but they rely on others more than most couples do. Even if you have your weaknesses, you're a strong person Tenten."

"And I need you to tell me constantly that I am strong, or haven't you noticed?" She wondered vaguely why he hadn't pushed her away yet, Neji wasn't exactly alright with people invading his personal space for long. A crash of thunder shook the house and she leaned closer to him. She liked storms, but these storms were too close for comfort sometimes.

"Having weaknesses and needing reassurance does not make one weak." Neji was speaking of what his father had taught him long ago; even if he had spent many years without believing it, "If anything, admitting your weaknesses makes you stronger."

Tenten finally smiled a bit. Neji had changed so much since they were kids, and she wasn't sure if it was the mission making him a bit softer, or just time and experience making him more mature. "I'm just amazed you haven't told me to get out of your personal space yet. I think this is the longest you've gone without getting severely agitated."

"Slightly agitated. I have spent enough time close enough to you to bear having our bodies near each other with the least amount of comfortlessness." Neji said, not wanting to admit that once Tenten was done being sappy and sad, that he had no problem being close to her for so long.

Tenten would never admit it, but there was something...his chakra maybe, that made her feel...fuzzy was it? It was calming, it made her feel warm, and probably even made her blush. She shifted away from him slightly, her face still a bit red. "Sorry about all that..." She whispered. "I'm...not really used to..." She wanted to say 'a mission like this' or 'getting that scared' but neither really defined all of what she just wasn't used to.

"You're a confident person. Uncertainty is going to upset you." Neji smoothed back her hair, and sat up fully. "And as willing as I am to stay close to you, I can not feel my right thigh, and the fur ball has covered me in small pin marks. Take it." He handed the ball of scruff to her and stood to amble his way into the kitchen.

Tenten scratched the kitten behind the ears and put most of their papers back into the file. She returned it to the scroll with a quick jutsu and hid the scroll from sight. It wouldn't do to leave the things out in the open, even if they weren't being watched. "Were you worried? When I was late I mean..." Tenten could not remember a single time when either of them had been late returning from anything. Neji was punctual to a fault, and she was almost as bad as he was. The last time someone had been late, they had been severely injured.

"I was concerned." Yes, he had been worried, but he didn't want Tenten to know how much. "However, I have faith in you, and assumed that you had run into trouble." He would not admit to the anxiety that had eaten him up inside, to the point of making him feel ill.

"Nobaru was about…oh I don't know..." She looked at the table they had, it was about the same size as the crates. "I guess the table length away from me. If he had moved the tarp he would have found me. I got lucky, he just kicked the crate." She grumbled to herself. "Makes me damn glad he is horrible at chakra suppression."

Neji nodded. "Reminded me of Naruto at first. Either he can't control his chakra running all over the place, or doesn't care enough to restrain it." He turned on the stove, intent on making a simple breakfast that wouldn't nauseate him.

Tenten remained silent while he cooked. "When you're feeling better, you're going to have to come with me to take a look at those buildings. Especially that one I couldn't get into. It was just...so weird." She flopped back on the couch and let the kitten crawl across her stomach, noting that it was more careful to not prick her with its claws than it was with Neji.

"Weird? What was strange about it?" Neji scrambled eggs, preparing to make an omelet for the two of them. "Were their guards standing at the ready?"

"All ceiling and vaulting, no floor, none I could see anyway. The security was...more subtle." She elaborated on the stone and glass infused with a steady pulse of chakra, and how it was one of the best defenses. Breaking the glass would disrupt the flow of chakra and someone would know almost immediately exactly where the intruder was. "I mean I've only seen defenses like that...well...never."

"It would take someone, or several people with a good amount of chakra to maintain a defense like that. Could you tell how many people the chakra belonged to, if any of them were familiar?" It was a subtle but guaranteed security system. There had to be something important there to warrant such extensive defenses.

"If it was more than one person they have identical chakra, possibly twins or something." Tenten answered petting the kitten. She stared absentmindedly at the ceiling, considering ways to break the defense. "I can't imagine how far it must go underground, I couldn't see anything besides darkness, no matter which direction I looked."

"I'll use the byakugan when we scout the area to see if I can find any weaknesses or hidden door to the defense." A structure that large being powered by one, possible two people? It seemed insane, especially if the security was already high. It may have been the work of a person from the experiments who became enriched with a vast quantity of chakra.

"Whoever or whatever it is, it's damn good at suppressing their chakra, I almost didn't feel it at all." Thunder shook the entire house and a brief, but very bright flash illuminated everything. "I felt kinda disoriented when I was there. Dizzy even."

"Was it draining your chakra?" Neji asked, putting the eggs onto a plate with rice. It may have been controlled by one person, who was feeding off another's chakra and using it as his own.

"I don't think so. It felt more like..." It felt like suffocating. It felt like forgetting how to breathe for a few minutes, and then suddenly breathing in water. "...like drowning. They might just be someone with a chakra type that naturally strongly opposes mine, that might be why it affected me, but that feeling- that was what made me notice the pulse of the chakra. I barely felt it until I felt like I had forgotten to breathe for a few minutes."

Neji nodded, coming out with the food. "I'll need to look and see how it reacts to my chakra." His chakra was very different from Tenten's, and if it reacted the same way to him, then they'd have something to go off of.

"If it reacts like that with yours, we're in deep waters." She said laughing a bit when the kitten wormed its way under her shirt. Neji's chakra was very different from hers, and yet, theirs complimented each other, to the point that it could entirely relax her. She had no idea that hers had a similar effect on him. "I mean how do you get into a building you can't get too close to? Heck it probably is even worse inside than it is on the outside." She tried to tug the kitten out from under her shirt before she started laughing too much. She watched the small creature poke its head around curiously and subsequently tickle her with its whiskers.

"There are always the tunnels; though those are probably even more heavily guarded than the buildings themselves." Neji reached his hand under Tenten's shirt, snagging the kitten and plopping it onto the floor so that Tenten could eat. "There has to be a weakness somewhere, something that we'll be able to use to our advantage."

Tenten turned slightly red. How often did Neji just reach up someone's shirt? ...Never. _Hail to the kitten I guess_... Tenten sat up and tried to force down her blush. Neji never would have done it back home...never...

"Is something wrong?" Neji asked, raising an eyebrow. The action he had done hadn't struck him as odd at all. Unfortunately; he found himself fishing squirrels out from Lee's clothes on more then one occasion.

"N-No." She laughed. "Ha-ha no. I'm ok, didn't realize how far down my shirt the cat went hehe…" Silently, she wished the cat had gone a bit further before she mentally reprimanded herself. Only a moment later she was twitching slightly. "How the hell do you cook like a freaking god when you're sick?" She pouted, knowing she couldn't cook well when she was feeling good, much less when she was sick.

"What do you mean? It tastes weird." It didn't help that taste buds seemed to not work when one was sick; and the food neji was eating tasted somewhere between cardboard and salty rice cakes that had been left to boil into goo. "I cooked it like I always do."

"It tastes perfect." She grumbled, lightly pushing the kitten away from her plate. "You really look a lot better today. I'm glad. You really did have me worried for a bit."

"It was just a fever. A sickness is nothing to worry about Tenten." He chewed his gummy food, making a slight face. He couldn't wait for taste to go back to normal. Whenever he had been sick when he was younger, he'd be left alone to rest and recover. Medics did stop buy if he were ill enough to warrant a visit, and his meals were brought to him by other clan members, but for the most part, he was always left alone.

Tenten stopped eating for a moment. "Your fever was high enough to do organ damage. Even Nobaru and Taiki were concerned by how high it was."

Neji paused eating for a moment. He was unaware that his temperature had been that high. "I apologize for worrying you."

"You didn't think I'd have stayed in that frigid water for so long for just a slight temperature did you?" She picked a bit at her food for a few minutes. "Let me tell you the water was cold..."

It was a wonder she didn't get sick herself, He knew she had spent far too long with him in that bathtub. "I know. I could feel your... goose bumps." He had a half hazy memory of her chilled body brushing against his skin.

"Just glad it worked." She said quietly. She again nudged the kitten away from her plate, noting that it seemed desperate to see what food had been placed upon it. "I bet it didn't feel to bad to you though, with a fever so high. Took all I had to stay awake."

"I don't remember it really. I remember waking up a little. Most everything else was just sleeping." He poked the kitten onto the floor. "Stop that. You aren't going to beg for our food."

Tenten laughed slightly when the kitten swatted at Neji's hand. "I'm glad you don't remember most of it, you looked horrible." She got up and grabbed the kitten some food. "Most of the village is shut down for the storm, but there is a store or two still open, I avoided them when I was out. We'll have to pick some stuff up there I guess..." Cat food, medicine...she opened the fridge and blinked a few times. "Yep, we'll have to get some...stuff." Food being one of those many things apparently.

"We're nearly out of supplies. And a fever reliever might be preferred to ice bathes next time." He paused, thinking. "Ask how long the storm is going to last, and how long ninja are going to be working on it. Find out how often the patrols are spread this thin with storms. If another big one like this comes, it could be a good opportunity to infiltrate the warehouses.

"Taiki and Nobaru said the start of the storm season is the worst, but apparently it storms like this a lot, I guess they're just least prepared for the first."

"Hopefully there will be a few surprise storms yet this year. Ask around just in case. Pretend to be worried about the lack of ninja in the village, and how vulnerable it makes us."

"It makes them very vulnerable..." She recalled telling Neji about the possible murder, and silently wondered how bad it was. What if there was a murderer wandering the streets? "Especially if there really was a murder."

"Murder? Was someone killed during the storms?" He wasn't worried about a murderer truthfully. He could handle a rouge killer easily; both of them could.

"And I think a near murder in the tunnels. It was bad enough for Nobaru to get called onto it."

"Then their defenses are down during storms." Neji was relieved to hear that. They would be able to use all the help they could get with this mission.

"I'll head out in an hour. It's still really windy out." Tenten said quietly, resigning herself to go back out into the storm. "Fortunately, this time I'm not breaking into anything."

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AN: Offically the longest chapter. Aha. WOW. Seriously. Kigen and I were on a writing rampage I guess. Look! I updated on time too! Hopefully this isn't too long for you all! Kinda hoping to break 300 reviews this time haha. My inner review whore and Kigen's are going nuts. We do love reading reviews. Two weeks! Till then!


	17. Chapter 17

**Disillusioned**

By: Faraway Dawn & Kigen

Disclaimer: blah blah blah the usual…Kigen and I own nothing, I'm out of cider!! Gah!

**Chapter 17**

* * *

Tenten slid into the only open store. It was hard, she noted, to be comfortable running through the rain dressed like...like a girl. Her hair was soaked, and her clothes were even wet under her coat. The rain was just terrible and completely unrelenting. She snuck down an aisle that was filled with medicine. There were fever reducers, she grabbed those. There was cough medicine, she grabbed that too. There were...other products, which she grabbed before slipping into an aisle with food.

"Oh, s'cuse me darling." A lady smiled as she bumped into Tenten. "Wasn't watching where I was going. I didn't hurt you when I bumped you, did I hun?" She was a few years older than Tenten, and had cart full of groceries before her.

Tenten shook her head lightly. "No, I'm fine. Don't worry about it, I'm kinda out of it myself." Tenten tilted her head slightly. The young woman reminded her of...someone...or a few of them. "I remember you from the festival."

"Oh yes, you were with that handsome young man." She giggled, holding her hand to her mouth. "How's the married life treating you sweetie? A shame you moved to this country right before all this horrible rain started. It happens at least once a year."

"It's great." Tenten lied cheerfully. Married life was fantastic...if it was real. "Tsubasa doesn't mind the weather...well he didn't, he got sick a few days ago, the day the storm started." Tenten held up her various medicines and smiled. "We had no medicine in the house, he rarely gets sick."

"Got caught in the rain did he? Everyone gets sick this time of year. Doctors and medics alike are on house calls almost non-stop." The woman smiled warmly before gasping softly. "I'm sorry, I never even introduced myself. I'm Karou. Your name was Amaya, right?"

"That's right, it's a pleasure." Tenten smiled. It was nice, finally to talk to another member of her gender. "I'm surprised you even caught my name, what with all the talking about my husband at the festival." Tenten laughed scratching her head lightly. The women had practically raved about her attractive husband. Hardly any of them cared that he was blind. Almost every single one of them had asked her if he was as well built as he looked, or if he was a good kisser. It had been the one time the village had felt just like Konoha.

"Why, the men have been gossiping about you as bad as the ladies do about your man, dear. Men are just more subtle when they gossip; require a few more drinks to loosen the tongue if you get my meaning." She smiled.

Tenten almost dropped a container of sesame seeds on the floor. "The men talk about me?" She turned a bit red. "I...I guess I don't get out enough, I haven't heard...well...anything."

"Of course men don't talk in front of the ladies. They gossip among themselves even though they insist they don't." Karou chuckled, looking at a few apples and carefully weighing them in her hands. "Why, it's been a long time since a new girl has came to the village; mind one strong as you and without being a ninja."

Tenten tried to laugh. "What exactly do they say? Even when I lived in fire country, I wasn't used to being noticed." She remembered Neji telling her that there had been boys interested in her, she had never noticed it. Neji had said they were more discreet, and they were older.

"Oh, they say that you're a pretty young thing with the balls to stand up to Nobaru." She leaned closer and whispered. "They say you're patient, good woman, for putting up with him tormenting your lover boy." Karou smiled, Amaya was one of those ordinary beauties. Beautiful and strong willed, but with nothing amazing that brought men to their knees like the gorgeous ones did. She didn't have to dress provocatively, she didn't have to wear a ton of makeup, and she didn't have to do much more than smile. In a village like theirs however, guts and patience went a lot further in the eyes of the men than being a knockout did.

"I guess people don't do that often?" Tenten tried to laugh while picking a few more foods. Some spices they were already low on, a few things Neji would need for stir-fry, and of course, the noodles she needed. She even grabbed a few things she had been craving. "I'm not quite as patient as people think, I admit I kind of wish I had been better at the academy, it just wasn't my thing..." She laughed lightly, unaware that their conversation was being listened to closely. "If I had been a ninja I guess I would have been more tempted to punch Nobaru's teeth out. Only reason I didn't get tempted to try anyway is because of Tsubasa. He always keeps me calm."

"So he's the yin to your yang? How romantic." Karou sighed softly. "Makes me wish that my own husband was a bit less..." she paused as she thought of a word. "a bit less eccentric, but I suppose what else can you expect from a researcher? So busy going over his work for the village that lately he barely has any time for me anymore." Her eyes lit up as she turned to Tenten. "It's wonderful to see love stories like yours that do come true."

Tenten perked up slightly. "Your husband is a researcher?" She tried not to smile too broadly. Ino had always said when combat didn't get you answers, the gossip network would. "How interesting, does he work at the hospital? I heard some of the ninja in the village mention that there weren't many medical researchers left in the village anymore."

"He used to work at the hospital. I don't know where exactly he works now. It's all top secret drivel and the such dear. You know protocol. They can't say what they're doing or why, just that it's secret and important for the well being of the village."

"Yeah..." Tenten glanced over her shoulder. She had the faintest suspicion that they were being..."Are we the only ones in the store?" She hadn't heard anyone else come in, and she was certain it was only the two of them and the woman who ran the store. "I feel like...I'm being watched."

"Possibly. The scouts like to keep an eye on the area. It's not uncommon to find a nin or two keeping watch in a store or over the playgrounds. To keep out spies and the such. After all, it wouldn't do to have a mole in our lovely little town, now would it? Especially in weather like this. Just keep to your self my dear and you'll be fine."

"You're much more perceptive than Nobaru mentioned..." A silky voice muttered behind Tenten, she turned around, perhaps a bit faster than she should have and stared at the man in front of her. She had not seen him before in the village, he was tall with black hair that reminded her of Sasuke's if not a bit longer, with platinum streaks through his bangs. His eyes were sharp and reminded her of hawk, right down to the amber color. She blinked once or twice to make sure he wasn't an illusion. He was extremely attractive and had a voice most girls would call chocolate for the ears. "So you're Tsubasa's wife, it's a pleasure to finally meet you ma'am." He said quietly, bowing slightly.

"Oh, Haru darling, don't scare the dear. She must be paranoid enough as it is." Karou slapped Haru on the arm lightly, shaking her head as she giggled. Glancing at the clock, she frowned. "Ah, look at the time. I better be home soon or dinner won't be done by the time Kentaro gets home. It's been a pleasure meeting you Amaya dreary, we'll have to get together for a real girls sit down soon. Take care now. And you," she turned to Haru. "need to come over for dinner again so I can make sure you're eating right. Your poor auntie would never forgive me if I didn't make sure you had one home cooked meal a month."

Haru chuckled and waved a hand dismissively. "I'm not that bad at cooking Karou." His eyes shifted to the girl called Amaya. If her hair were only a bit darker, and her eyes a bit different she would look almost like... "Karou is a very nice young woman, it's good that you got an opportunity to meet her...Amaya was it?" It was true, Karou was nice, if not a bit chatty, especially with a village new comer. "Your husband is recovering well I hope, Taiki and Nobaru were quite worried about him." He pulled a few things from the shelf himself, knowing that going home to an empty cupboard was no way to be living.

"He'll be fine..." Tenten said quietly, feeling suddenly uncomfortable in the young man's presence. He reminded her of how Naruto said Itachi made him feel. Ill at ease, fidgety, and slightly paranoid. "I uh...I should get going, Tsubasa's probably getting hungry now that he's feeling a bit better. It was nice to meet you." She bowed and quickly hurried off to pay for her things, leaving the dark haired jounin smirking slightly in the aisle.

About fifteen minutes later, Neji's head jerked up as the door slammed. "Is something wrong? Did you find anything out?" He stood, holding the kitten by a makeshift collar to keep it from tearing out of the room in surprise.

Tenten set her things down and heaved a sigh of relief. "You heard of anyone in this village named Haru?" She asked hanging up her soaked jacket and slipping her shoes off.

"Not that I can think of." Neji paused, thinking hard. "I believe Nobaru said I had a nicer ass then someone named Haru, but that's the only thing I can remember." He frowned, not enjoying that memory very much.

"He's got a nice ass I can tell you that much." She leaned against the door, relieved that she couldn't feel the man's chakra anywhere near. She agreed with Nobaru though, Neji's was nicer. She shook her head a few times to clear her thoughts. The man's chakra had the same ominous feeling as the Akatsuki. Her thoughts suddenly stopped spinning. Haru...She thought of the papers. It was him! "Oh...god." She stared blankly ahead. The genjutsu specialist had been standing only a few feet from her. She took a slow steady breath, and she hoped Neji would get the message. If she was under the effect of a genjutsu, especially one by a skilled ninja, she would have absolutely no idea she was in one. Her head still felt a bit hazy, and she had to wonder if she was home at all.

"The genjutsu specialist." Neji frowned, smacking himself mentally. How could he forget something like that? He placed a hand on Tenten's arm, filling her with his chakra. "It's fine Tenten. You're not under the effect of any jutsu, you're fine."

"If he's a genjutsu specialist how am I supposed to be sure...I mean Itachi was pretty damn creative." She mumbled. His chakra felt very real though, and it did calm her a bit. No one, not even a master of genjutsu, could mimic Neji's chakra that well.

"Unless he could read your mind, he wouldn't know that your name was Tenten; and that mine is Neji. He'd be looking for information." He said, pulling her towards the couch. "He'd probably be trying to lure you into a false sense of security with seduction or something. Seduction, that you know wouldn't work."

"I dunno he's a lot better looking than that picture suggests." Neji was right though. Of all things, he would never be able to fully mimic Neji's chakra, or its effect on her. He couldn't possibly know exactly who they were, even if he thought they were spies, and he certainly wouldn't know about the kitten that was trying to tug its collar off. "Actually he's really attractive, if he's as good at genjutsu as it says, he might be able to seduce me."

"I meant him using me to seduce you. It couldn't happen because we are lovers by mission specs only." Neji dropped the kitten when it let out a pissed off mewl. He was reminding himself as well as Tenten of that fact.

Tenten opened her mouth to argue, but decided against it. That was correct. They were only lovers because of their mission, there was nothing else there. Admitting the genjutsu user would have been able to seduce her anyway, would tell Neji only one thing. There was something more there, to her anyway.

"Why did he make contact with you? Were you looking for things when you went grocery shopping?" Neji was a tad confused about this seemingly random appearance.

"I was talking to a woman from the village. Her husband is supposed to be a researcher. He was listening to us talk for a while I think." She got up and started putting things away, still slightly bothered by the man she had met at the store. "I still feel so uneasy, just from those few minutes near him."

"He must have though you were looking for information." Which Tenten had been doing, but that wasn't the point. "I'm sure he just did that to try and scare you. It looks like it worked."

"I'm not afraid of him. I just don't like genjutsu." Tenten argued shutting a cupboard more sharply than she intended to. It had been a long time since someone could make her feel so uneasy. Neji, after all, hadn't been there. He didn't feel the entire room spinning, and he certainly didn't feel the haze her mind felt like it was in, even after she had returned to the safety of the house. "Ever had Sasuke use a really strong genjutsu on you? Assassins have to go through some really nasty genjutsu, mental training they say...this guy...it felt so much worse than anything I've felt before, and he didn't even use a jutsu. It was like standing next to Itachi."

"I admit that my experience with genjutsu most likely pales in comparison yours." Neji's byakugan usually allowed him to defeat his enemy before they had a chance to use such jutsu. Even if they did use genjutsu, he could easily see through some of the most intricate illusions.

"You don't want my kind of experience with it." She answered putting the last of the food away. "Take my word for it." She shuddered slightly. She had never been fond of genjutsu. Sometimes, suffering the cruelty of the mind, was far worse than any physical torture. Every female assassin, there were no exceptions, was forced into various genjutsu, and they included all of the various situations one could find themselves in undercover, or if captured.

She had been the least affected by genjutsu out of the group she endured the tests with, but was warned that no one handled one particular test well. "I'm glad, they never tested your team the way assassination teams are tested." She said quietly. She had cried for days, felt miserable for weeks, but eventually willed herself to remember, that it was not real.

Still...just as they had warned, no woman took well to certain illusions.

The others had not handled it well. Of the twenty women that were tested to become assassins, only three made it out sane. Most were sent to an evaluation team and therapy for months. Some retired entirely, others backed down from the offer to try again, and became genin instructors. She had been one of the three who endured weeks of stress and frustration, nightmares, and hallucinations, but in the end, came out stronger and easily the most sane.

Tenten hated genjutsu, and she adamantly believed that some things should never be experienced by anyone, even if it was just an illusion.

Neji patted her back awkwardly, not quite sure what was wrong, but knowing something was bothering her greatly. "I know that you went through hard training Tenten. I won't let Haru or anyone else get to you."

"Neji?" She could feel his chakra still. He was obviously feeling much better, she could feel it more strongly than she had the last few days. "Your chakra is so different from that guys. His was so...violent, chaotic, angry..." Neji's left her feeling calm to such a remarkable degree. "Yours is so...calm." She wanted to say his left her feeling warm, safe, and completely at ease, but she didn't want him to read too deeply into it.

"Just relax. It's fine." He wrapped his arms around her shoulders. How badly had this Haru guy frightened her? Tenten was a nervous mess. "He can't hurt you; he has no reason to hurt you." His fingers worked gently through her damp hair.

"I'm fine Neji." She said quietly. "I got all the stuff you need to make...well like everything." She glanced out the window, it was still pouring, still storming, and for some reason she felt like she was in a really weird dream she'd had as a teenager. She let him hold her like that for a few minutes, knowing soon he would step away and get to work cooking. "I just don't like the way genjutsu makes me feel. It's not a big deal, my problem to deal with."

Neji sighed a bit, letting go of Tenten and stepping to the fridge. "All right. But if you need any help, let me know. I'm your partner Tenten."

"Thanks." She smiled slightly. "Oh! The lady at the store, she said there would be a break in the storm tomorrow, less rain, no thunder...even a bit of sun, but she said another big one is moving in behind this one."

Neji's head perked, "How long do we have?" His mind was already going over their plans, what buildings would be best to hit next.

"Well, tomorrow the storm is supposed to die down, but she said within the next day or so, another huge one will come rolling in. She said there are a lot of storms off the coast, so she advised us to stock up on food while we could, even gave me a discount."

"We'll need to go out. Both of us." Neji was mapping out a plan. "We'll have to go and scout out the other buildings and try to get into the tunnels." Neji began taking care of the dishes.

"I'm better at avoidance, I'll go deeper in. You can map these buildings out faster than I can." She was afraid of going deeper alone, but she couldn't have Neji know that. She'd have to be strong. He was the one always telling her she was strong after all.

"It would be better for the two of us to go together. That way I can detect what comes next without putting you in danger without backup."

"It's harder for two people to avoid detection." She answered quietly. Was he really that worried about her? "Eh...sorry, when I start thinking like an assassin it's hard to stop. I rarely get sent in with back up...losing one is better than losing two, they always say."

"Losing any is not an option. Even from the assassin's point of view. If Amaya were to die, as a ninja spy none the less, what would that mean for Tsubasa? The same goes to Amaya. If Tsubasa were to die, it would only be a matter of time before they caught up to you."

"It gives you time to get out with the information we have." She tried not to laugh. "That's how it works."

"I'd rather have both of us come back alive." Neji picked up a cloth, drying the dishes.

"Nice to work with someone who gives a damn for a change." Tenten smiled. She wiped down the counters while he did the dishes. "Really nice actually."

"I thought your missions were done primarily by yourself." Tenten had often spoke of her missions without mention of any partners, often mentioning her lack of partners. If he remembered correctly, he couldn't remember her speaking once of going on a mission with others since she became a full time assassin.

"I've been on a few with Shino, and a few with Sasuke. Hell if they care if I get back alive. They're really focused on getting done with the mission, no matter the cost. I'm on an assassination team. Three of us. I just take more solo missions than the other two."

Neji paused, making a face. "I must admit, I've never thought of that particular... threesome before." he admitted, trying to wrap his mind around that. For some reason he got an image of Tenten, poised and ready to attack, and Sasuke and Shino in the back, doing their best impressions of the other's idea of a conversation.

"Don't think about it, they're actually great to work with. Neither ask too many questions, they just do the job...Sasuke can disable almost any human resistance, Shino can scout and kill almost entirely undetected, and I can disarm almost any trap easily. I still think I've got at least ten more assassinations under my belt than they have but still...effective."

"It does make sense." It was a well balanced and effective team, especially when she put it that way. "More than Sasuke?" He asked, a bit surprised at that. Sasuke had to have had more assassination missions than Tenten.

"I actually have done twelve more than him. I think he's done more undercover work." She answered folding up the towel she finished drying the counters with.

"That is a bit..." He paused, sensing a ninja approaching. They were getting lax with their words. "Are these tomatoes ripe Amaya? They feel a bit... tough." He switched modes quickly, picking up the said fruit.

Tenten's eyes narrowed. "Yep, but I bet the weather hasn't helped much." Security was lax during the storm, and there had been no one to bother them for days she reminded herself, but still, they knew they had to be prepared for anything. "Looks like the rain is going to let up for a little while." She tried not to grumble. It had been nice to hear her real name for a few days.

"Good. It muddles my senses and the constant beating of the rain against the house is worsening my headache." Neji mumbled, picking up a knife to cut up a tomato.

"I love the sound but, I bet you could use a day of less rain to really recover. I miss the sun ."

"At least the fever's gone and I'm not having strange dreams anymore." Neji pecked Tenten's cheek. "Can you get me the onions dear?"

Tenten grabbed what he asked for and sighed. "I'm just glad you're feeling better." She wanted their little guest to leave, even if she didn't mind the affection.

"Me too. How long has it been raining? I can't remember much before last evening."

"It's been about three days now." Tenten stared out the window. "Three days already...You were sick for two full days."

"I don't remember much. I felt you nearby. You stayed by my side the entire time, didn't you Amaya?"

"Mhm. Till I heard the kitten outside, but I came right back after I brought him in. You slept most of it off."

"Stupid cat." Neji muttered. "It cried the entire time you were at the store."

"I'll make it up to you?" She offered.

"And how do you plan on doing that?" Neji smirked, turning to his partner.

"Oh I'm sure I'll think of something." She leaned back against the counter and crossed her arms. "Or you could suggest something." Damn Neji's smirk. It gave her butterflies in her stomach.

"I could suggest a few things, but I don't want you to catch my lingering illness. Even if they say fools don't catch colds..." Neji nipped her neck. "I'm sure such close contact for so long will make you catch something."

"If I was going to get sick I'd probably be showing some symptoms by now. I'm not worried." She lifted his head from her neck and kissed him.

"Mmm." Neji groaned softly. He held Tenten a moment and kissed her back. "And If I say I'm not feeling quite up to having you under me for hours on end?"

Tenten pulled him closer to her and brought their lips together again, one of her hands slid down his chest and she whispered suggestively. "I have no problem being on top, I hear it can be therapeutic."

"Are you so sure you can keep me down?" Neji asked, sliding a hand from her shoulder, down her back to cup her ass. "After all, I may be a bit beaten at the moment, but I can still hold my own in any... fight." He smirked confidently.

Tenten held back her gasp of surprise. Her body responded naturally and she pressed herself closer to him. "Any fight?" She questioned with some difficulty. "I've kept you down before." Her eyes drifted momentarily to the windows. The chakra felt like it had surrounded the house, and it wasn't Nobaru's, his annoyed her. Nobaru's felt more like Kiba's; she could recognize it anywhere. This was someone more subtle, someone that she didn't recognize.

"But never for very long, and never when I didn't let you." Neji murmured into her neck, kissing and working on his way to leaving a rather noticeable hickey. "But, if you're up to the challenge, I suppose it would be rather bad sport of me to just have my way with you without giving you a fighting chance." He straitened, pulling away from Tenten while keeping the lower parts of their anatomy pressed together. "If you're still up to the challenge that is?"

Willing herself not to blush, after all, a married woman wouldn't turn red being so close to her husband, Tenten carried on. She pushed his shirt open and slid it from him, allowing it to fall on the kitchen floor. Her gaze flickered to the couch before she tugged him toward it and pushed him down into a sitting position. He'd even be able to keep his pants on this way, none of the windows faced the front side of the couch. Straddling him, she kissed him roughly, and her hands gripped his shoulders tightly. "I'm up for it," She smirked. "and apparently, so are you."

"I'm always up for some light sparring." He teased, letting his fingers play over the curves of her shoulders, fingering her bra straps as he slipped them off her shoulders. His cheeks flushed the lightest shade of pink as his thoughts went to her breasts. If their audience didn't leave soon, he might just end up seeing a bit more of Tenten far closer than he had before.

Tenten's heart pounded. His touch aroused her more than she would have liked, and it took all her willpower to resist it as much as she did. Her trembling would not go unnoticed though and she lowered her head to whisper to him. "Sorry, I know this is gonna be...awkward." She shrugged slightly and slid her arms out from the straps. Visibly from the window, she appeared nude, most of her body was still hidden from sight by him, and she was grateful to Ino's insistence that she have a 'proper bra' that would do the duty bindings could only dream of. "I already pulled a fake one in the bathroom." Her lips moved against his neck as she spoke. "We can't keep retreating there, it's too suspicious, so…your turn."

Neji's hands froze a moment, and he looked up at Tenten through his bangs. He hissed at her incredulously. "You aren't suggesting that I fake an orgasm, are you?"

"Want me to say it again to clarify?" She growled back quietly at him, a simple warning, that if she had to say it again, she could always make him have a real one. "I trust your judgment, do you trust mine?" It wasn't all that hard for a male to fake one anyway, females were significantly more vocal in most cases than their male counter parts. A groan or two, some heavier breathing, and the job would be done.

"I trust your judgment just fine." Neji hissed back, face turning even redder as the situation became more and more real. "I'm just not so sure about my abilities to fake being in the throes of passion." He muttered, using the opportunity to hide his face in Tenten's neck, as his hands stroked her back.

She laughed quietly, only he would hear, being so close to her. "That or I help you fake it." Her reply almost lost in the pounding of rain against the house. "I doubt you'd want that."

"Help me Amaya? How would you do that?" He asked, pulling his head away to kiss at her collar. He was about two seconds away from retreating to the bathroom. He was not going to fake an orgasm for some pervert's entertainment.

She sighed a bit. He was going to regret it, and who knew what kind of stress it would put on their friendship. Resigning herself to suffer his stubborn nature, she ground her hips against him, her fingers tugged at his hair and lifted his head so she could kiss him again. "You're a pain in the ass you know that?" She muttered against his lips.

Neji let out a startled gasp, cutting off a hiss from his lips as Tenten ground against him. "T-Amaya!" Neji growled, glaring at Tenten. What the hell was she thinking? If she kept this up, he would; he was getting hard! "What do you think you're doing? It isn't like you to take charge like this." He tried his hardest to keep from shrieking at her to stop.

Tenten's eyes narrowed dangerously. "Frustrating isn't it? How do you think I feel, huh?" She whispered harshly. For a moment she wondered if he considered at all how awkward the situation was for her. Of course he didn't though, he had no idea how she really felt, it was just a mission after all. All their intimate moments were merely to keep cover.

"You know, if the situation was to be reversed, it would be considered rape." Neji grunted, gritting his teeth and letting out a hiss as he grew even harder under Tenten's ministrations. "We don't need to take it this far." Neji was not panicked. This was nothing to panic over. The fact he wanted to rock into Tenten rather than push her off however, was something to panic over.

"With what is at stake here you'd be amazed what they would overlook." The chakra around the house was not letting up. Already she could feel a growing tension between her and Neji that she didn't want. Her body stilled and Tenten leaned forward and rested her forehead against his. She apologized quietly, knowing just by the subtle shift in his chakra that he was very uncomfortable, and unaware that if she shifted much closer to him, she'd notice that her actions had had a much greater effect than she intended.

Neji let out a held breath as Tenten's body stilled, she had settled much closer to him. She was mere centimeters from discovering his... predicament. Hugging her around the shoulders, he clung to her and let out a low groan of her code name and shuddered, internally hanging his dignity for the surveillance nins.

Finally, a good few minutes after, both felt the chakra let up. She shifted away from him quickly and tugged her shirt back on. "Sorry about that Neji." She muttered quietly before heading down the hall to the spare room. Currently it was an empty, windowless, good for nothing room. For the most part they only stored extra things there. Shutting the door she leaned back against it and sighed. Facing him right now was harder than it had ever been in her life. She had to take control and already felt a strange rift between them. Sliding down to sit on the floor, she hoped it was only in her head.

Four days after that however, the rift seemed more and more real. Neither spoke to each other, and barely made eye contact. She felt guilty for forcing the events of that day, but to maintain a passable cover, sacrifices had to be made.

Those sacrifices left a dull ache in her.

Not speaking with Neji was like telling a human not to breathe. Years of being close with him had made talking to him, about anything, as natural as breathing. Taking that away was agonizing. She sat by the window with her head leaned against it, while he did his usual work. Finally better, he was back to cooking all the meals, and back to reading over the files on the couch. Very rarely in the day would he look at her, and at night they maintained their distance with each other, to the point that some nights she slept on the couch with the kitten.

He didn't need to apologize for forcing her to act, but until he accepted her earlier apology, things were not going to feel right. Tenten sighed staring out at the first break in the storms. There were still a good deal of clouds, but there was a bit of sun at last. Would their friendship even be salvageable at the current time? She had after all, crossed the lines a bit, even though she could reason that if he had just done what she said without a fight, she wouldn't have had to. Her fingers scratched the kitten on her lap. The silence was going to drive her insane.

Neji sighed quietly and put down the paperwork, massaging his temples. He was getting a headache from reading so much text in the past four days. He looked up at the girl who was still moping with her kitten. Neither had spoken since that particular event four days ago, and it was starting to grate on his nerves. While the first day passed well, by the second he was feeling a bit uncomfortable. Now on the fourth day, it was driving him absolutely insane. It was far too strange for the two of them to avoid each other; they hadn't so much as squabbled since their early days in training. He never thought it would bother him to be distant with her.

The kitten was tolerating it even less than they were, occasionally mewing at each of them, sometimes biting the two of them. It pawed again at Tenten to try to take her attention off the window, and was rewarded only with a light scratch under its chin. In the previous days she had snuck out once or twice at night, only to scout, without his knowledge. She'd only found out that the same well protected building, never seemed to have a point in which it wasn't well guarded. There were also various entrances to an underground system of tunnels, all dark and difficult to navigate alone. To get in, they would have to both have a good look at it.

Neji slowly stood up. He went to the kitchen to cook; something he still did despite their 'time out' from each other. He set about, noticing that Tenten hadn't looked away from the window for hours. He finished cooking and laid the plates of lunch on the table. "Amaya, lunch is ready." He called; the first words he had spoken aloud to her all week.

"Not hungry." She answered back shortly. The first words they had spoken all week, it should have been more a relief than it was. It should have been better at least to hear him speak. Her eyes never left the windows. The kitten was tugging on her sleeves trying to get her to pay attention to the food.

"You haven't eaten yet today; and the demon spawn wants you to come as well." Neji said with a small smirk at the small kitten. "I've made you that disgusting spicy noodle mass you enjoy so much; and I'm not eating it alone."

Tenten tried to fight her slight smile. "You're actually going to eat it this time? That's new." The kitten had already hopped to the floor and started tugging on her pants.

"I won't lie. My serving has a dressing that's a touch... more palatable then yours." His own way of saying that he was wimping out with a less spicy version.

"No guts." She said quietly trying not to laugh at him. His tolerance for spicy things were so much lower than hers.

"I prefer to call it a strong sense of self-preservation." Neji sat at the table, nibbling on some of the tempura he had fried. He may have been feeling apologetic; but the guilt wasn't eating at him badly enough that he felt he should risk his taste buds for forgiveness.

Reluctantly, she gave in and moved to sit down at the table. Still he hadn't said a few simple words she needed to hear. 'I forgive you' would have been enough to at least make her feel more at ease, even if she felt there was a lot of relationship repairing to do. The kitten tried to get up on the table from a side chair, too fascinated for its own good by the smell of the food.

"Off the table beast." Neji shooed the kitten. "This is people food. Yours is in the dish over there." He picked it up by the scruff and dropped it on the floor, ignoring the insulted sounding mew. He stole a glance at Tenten and noticed that she hadn't even noticed the display. The sight was sobering. He may just have to... make amends in some way.

She did however start to eat. Which resulted in a reaction that would have made him laugh, if they were in Konoha maybe. Her eyes widened and there were tears in her eyes for a split second before she grabbed her water. She was near hyperventilating the next moment.

"What did you do, steal that curry recipe or something?" She even started to fan her mouth a bit. Inwardly it made her laugh, even if her mouth was burning too much to do it. "Out done yourself this time." She managed to cough out between gulps of water and what sounded like laughter.

"You always say that you like things 'extra spicy' Amaya. This time I just ignored my better judgment and added twice of what I thought I should." Neji explained, listening to Tenten cough and gasp between desperate gulps of water, he second thought his recipes. "Are you alright? Do you need another drink?

"I'm fine." Finally she laughed. "Talk about a kick. Wow. Twice the amount you usually add huh? Your old teammate would probably love this. Just toss some of this over rice, he'll go nuts." She almost immediately recovered and continued eating despite the burn and her watering eyes.

"I'm sure he would. He's always had a taste for horrible, unbearable things." Neji smirked a bit, remembering the curry incident all too well. Pushing the food on his plate around, he started a conversation he wasn't sure if he would regret or not. "I remember how... strange missions would be with him; and frustrating. He often made mistakes at first that I criticized him harshly for..."

Tenten paused and glanced up slightly. Here it was, he was going to point out, indirectly that she had made a major mistake, crossed the lines, and so on...She braced herself for it. Neji was, after all, exceedingly hard on people.

"It is... something I regret now. I never looked at the mistakes I made myself. At the time, I still put my pride before the mission. It has caused a few problems. Problems that could have compromised the mission, or the... loss of trust and camaraderie between teammates. It is something that I wish I could take back; and apologize for if given the chance." Neji took a deep shuddering breath. That hadn't been as painful as he thought it would have; though he no longer had an appetite.

She hadn't been expecting him to do it, and it took her a few minutes to process it all. Neji apologized? That's what it had sounded like. "Sacrifices, need to be made sometimes..." She started slowly, "someone has to take charge. Your partner...I know they'd appreciate it." It had to be hard for Neji to apologize, in fact she couldn't remember once that he had actually apologized without significant prompting. "You always have the chance to apologize. It takes a real man to admit when they've made a mistake, and I've always...respected that about you."

Neji smiled inwardly at the words, at least she had been taken well. "I doubt it. He'd probably have a spontaneous heart attack if I were to do something as unexpected as apologizing." Not to mention that he didn't want to make a habit out of this 'apologizing' thing. He winced at a sudden sharp prickle on his leg. he reached down, picked up the kitten that was climbing his pant leg and dropped it onto the floor again. "No. Bad cat." He admonished, glaring at the little fuzz ball. "Stay on the ground. Your food is on the floor."

She chuckled across the table. "Give it up, The cat likes you too much, he's not trying to get your food, he just wants to be near you. Pet him once in awhile." He was not really the 'animal type' but Tenten couldn't help but find the mental picture cute. Neji, with a cat crawling all over him, and pawing at his hair...it was too cute.

Neji raised an eyebrow as he shot Tenten a look that clearly stated 'are you out of your mind?' clearly the spicy food had gone and melted brain cells to make her say something as incredibly stupid as that. "Amaya.... It's an animal. It doesn't want anything but to eat and sleep. I highly doubt that the fur ball wants me to shower it with affection."

"Animals aren't that much different from humans. Even people like...you I guess...need to be shown they're loved sometimes. Animals are no different."

Neji frowned, staring down the small creature. It just looked up and mewled at him, purring as it rubbed against his foot. With a frustrated sigh, he reached down and lightly scratched it behind its ears. "There, I pet you. Now go to Amaya if you want love."

Tenten spared a glance under the table. "Oh look at that. Curled up and sleeping next to you...a little affection goes a long way I guess."

"How can it be asleep? It was awake minutes ago." Neji was glad though. It seemed the argument and four days of silence was long forgotten or at the least, past them.

Tenten merely explained that kittens, particularly ones with a good amount of energy, needed a good amount of sleep, before taking her dishes to the kitchen. There was no chakra around, and when she was certain that no one was attempting to mask theirs, she sighed. "I uh...snuck out a few times the last few days, at night while you were asleep."

Neji nodded. "I can't say I'm surprised. You always liked to take things into your own hands whenever you felt the need to prove yourself." He knew that even though it was his fault, he also knew that Tenten would feel guilty.

"It wasn't that really. I just...needed to get out and get away. It's been strange, not talking to you." Tenten answered quietly while washing her dishes. "Too strange."

"We haven't fought before." Neji confirmed, standing next to her as he reached for a towel to dry them.

"Never once, hmm? We had to have, once or twice when we were younger." She couldn't recall any time any disagreement they had kept them from speaking though. Maybe he could, sometimes she blocked out bad memories entirely, he rarely did.

"We squabbled as all children do. We actually argued well into adolescence. You were quite a vindictive shrew when you put your mind to it." They did have a few quarrels during their training, though nothing that ever went so far to interfere with their work or lasting more than a few hours.

"You had it coming most of the time Mr. Personality."

"Mhm, and I gave as good as I got insolent woman."

Tenten almost dropped the dishes she was washing when she was overcome by a fit of laughter. It was juvenile, calling each other names, but they were always so mature. Sometimes their inner children couldn't help themselves she supposed. "L-last time you called me that, you almost wound up in the hospital." She had kicked him hard, and he slid backward onto an explosive tag. Fortunately, Lee was faster than both of them and had pulled them both out of the blast radius.

"It was your own fault for leaving your weapons lying around." He chuckled as well, remembering that particular event. "You surprised me. Even though your hit was weak, you surprised me enough that I slipped."

"Slipped huh? Is that what you call it?" She smiled though. They trained rough, Lee had always dedicated himself to improving where he could, and their sensei devoted his time to that. It left the pair of them to train with each other. Neji was excellent at everything he ever did, she was great at the things she set herself to mastering. It made for some...destructive training. Destructive yes, but very productive.

"Yes, I slipped. Though, if it will make you feel better; I will admit I wouldn't have slipped if you hadn't kicked me." Their early training had had its ups and downs. It had been brutal; but they had both progressed quickly, mostly due to their determination and their own personal egos. Neither easily admitted defeat, neither would back down from the challenge, and they certainly never backed down from a chance to push each other to their limits.

"We were so different as kids." She said quietly before resuming the dishes. Time changed people, and they had grown up together, barely noticing the changes. Now, looking back, the changes were so remarkable. He was more outspoken, more defiant than he was as a boy. His arrogance had gradually decreased somewhat, and his combative ability increased dramatically. Emotionally even, he had matured greatly. Compared to her classmate, teammate, and training partner, he was an entirely different man.

"Yes, we were." He agreed. Tenten was still the same sweet person she had been as a child; but she much stronger, smarter than she had been a child. Somehow when Neji hadn't been paying attention Tenten had grown up. Though, he was still having difficulties seeing her as a woman rather than a teammate. The few times he did recognize her more as a woman, it was more his body than his mind making the connection.

"Do you remember the day you became a jounin?" She asked shutting off the water and slightly shifting the subject.

"A bit. My memory of the even is a bit hazy around the edges." the jounin test was brutal. He had been subject to test after test, and by the end of it he was ready to lay down and die

"Everyone was proud of you, especially your uncle. I'm not sure if he ever told you that." She started putting most of the dried dishes away. "I got back the day after you completed the tests, the festival. Good excuse to celebrate even more. I was so proud of you, and I know I told you then that I was proud of you, but you did something they said you'd never be able to do. Something you told me when you were thirteen, that you were going to do. It took me so much longer to do it myself, but I wanted you to succeed more than anything." She shut one of the cupboards and smiled. "You've come so far from there. I still think you can change...things, you know."

Neji stopped. He knew what Tenten was talking about; but it was hopeless. He was a member of the branch family. His fate was entirely in the hands of the main house, and there was nothing he could do to change that. Living in the Cloud Village with Tenten had made him forget. "There are some things I can't change Amaya."

Tenten's smile was different, more reflected by the expression in her eyes. A hint of sadness, but still hopeful. "I believe in you, always have, even when you didn't believe in yourself." Happiness was not entirely out of his reach. Things needed to change for him to gain more power in his family, and even if he didn't love the person he married, being a father created a whole new pool of emotions, toward the child and usually the mother.

"I know you believe in me Amaya, and thank you. I appreciate it, I really do; but some things can not be changed no matter how much you wish they could."

"That hard to say my name when we talk about this now?" She glanced around. "No one is here, it's..." She thought of that little place in Konoha's woods that they used to go to. "...It's just us."

Neji sighed. "I know it is Tenten. There are simply some things I do not wish to discuss."

She sighed and wiped off the counters to busy herself. He never wanted to talk about the things that bothered him most, and deep down she couldn't help but think he was afraid of one thing. The clan that controlled his life, might force something upon him that eventually made him happy. "Avoiding it forever isn't doing you any good, if you can't talk about it still, to me of all people, who are you ever going to tell?"

"Talking won't change anything Tenten. No matter how much we talk, what we come up with; how hard we try; there are things that can not be changed." Neji put away the dishes, frustrated. He didn't understand why she always brought this up, why she was so obsessed with it. He could never escape the clan. After years of struggling and fighting, he had finally accepted it.

"Yeah, because you can't change fate." She left the kitchen and flopped down on the couch. "We hear things, assassins...rumors and stuff. Do you think it's possible that at some point, even if you couldn't change things, that you could be happy?"

"I am perfectly satisfied with my life right now." He stepped into the living room. "Why do you insist that my life needs to be in a state of perfect euphoria? I am content. I want for nothing that I can't have. Why don't you believe me?"

Tenten looked down at her lap. "You deserve to be happy, more than anyone I know." She paused to choose her words. "I'm not stupid you know, I know that you want more than anything, to have a life that's entirely your own. I just...want you to be able to have the things others take for granted, that's all. I want to be able to go on with my life knowing that at least, if life isn't everything you ever hoped for, at least you're happy."

Neji sighed. It wasn't worth fighting over again. "I am happy. Sometimes I wish you would just believe it without fighting it."

"I'd believe if you, if you'd stop lying about it." She looked away immediately. It wasn't worth it to fight with him again, four days of not speaking to each other had been more than enough, and she didn't quite feel like spending the night miserable. So, after a deep breath, she changed the subject. "It's going to storm tonight."

He was glad that the argument was finally over. Sometimes, Tenten would keep it up for hours insisting that his life was dark and horrible. "How badly?" This could be their next chance. The majority of the cloud nin were still working on finishing the repairs of the damages from the first flood. They didn't have much time before the repairs were done and the village would return to it's original strength.

"Badly. There's supposed to be heavy flooding along the rivers in the lower mountains. They're expecting high winds and a few landslides. I heard the northern side of the mountain has a lot of landslides every year."

"We can't let this slip by. We need to investigate as much as we possibly can. Have you found any new places of interest?" Tenten said that she had went out on her own at night; he knew how through she was.

"The security on the lower level of that building I found the files in, it's just...sad." She recounted how she had ventured a bit further, into a series of hallways that led deeper underground. She ignored the look on his face that indicated he wanted to scold her for going so far without backup. "I managed to get into a medical storage facility, nothing special about it, just piles of boxes with clean flasks, test tubes, and spare medical equipment. Nothing out of the ordinary for a hospital supply area."

"Where there any other promising areas?" If the original building was that badly guarded, then it wasn't the main one. "What about the one with the chakra shielding?" That was most likely holding the most secrets.

"I couldn't find it from the tunnels. There was actually security in the tunnels. I avoided it easily, but I didn't want to take too many chances, I figured you'd be mad enough at me for going in alone."

"I am rather upset, however, I trust you enough to know that you didn't take any unnecessary risks." He opened a window and took a deep breath. "The storm should be here in a few hours."

Tenten laid back on the couch and stared up at the ceiling. "Might as well relax till it starts then." She shivered slightly when the cold air filled the room and tugged a blanket folded over the couch over her body.

Neji closed the window and took the blanket, more properly tucking her in. Picking up the kitten that was trying to tangle his legs together, he dropped it promptly on Tenten's lap. "Pet your demon creature." Sitting down, he closed his eyes. He should rest as well.

Tenten laughed quietly and lifted the blanket so the kitten could crawl under it. She smirked when it curled up on her stomach and purred loudly. "You forgive me for nearly starting an argument?" She asked quietly, listening to the wind picking up outside.

Neji opened one eye to look at her. "Yes." He said after a moment. "I understand you are just concerned about me, even if I don't agree."

"I wouldn't say it if I didn't care." Her eyes shifted away from his to stare at one of the pillows of the couch. "I do want you to have the things people take for granted. No one really appreciates how lucky they are, to be able to spend their lives with someone they love. No one appreciates their freedom. I used to be like that, I swore I'd never take any of it for granted once I met you."

"You seem too hung up on the fact that I will eventually be in an arranged marriage. Many people don't marry the one they truly love. Most people never find real love." Love was something quite rare and unobtainable in the world.

"I've seen the look in your eyes when Lee rambles about Sakura though. You want the freedom to find that for yourself." Her eyes drifted shut. He could deny it all he wanted, she knew him long enough to read him with minimal effort. One had to after all, Neji wasn't exactly the most expressive person. "I know how that feels. I envy Sakura...I'm not going to find the things I want in life either. We've never been all that different, you and I."

"The way you talk, it seems like you're the one who's unhappy with their life." Neji noted, turning to her. "But why? You're free to do whatever you want. Your parents will support you no matter what; no one controls your life."

There was a long period of silence, broken only by the sound of trees outside and the stronger winds, before Tenten opened her eyes. "I'm not happy, I can admit that though. I don't like that the things I want the most will always be out of my reach. I don't want to settle for someone, I want to have what Sakura has. I want real love. It's one thing we don't have in common. I can't settle for what I get." She tugged the blanket over her head to avoid looking at him. "I'm selfish, I want to be with someone I love, that loves me. That's all I want for myself."

There was an extended period of silence before she spoke again. "Most people would have said something by now." She pulled the blanket away from her face and looked at him. "I guess it's a surprise that I'm not as happy as I seem huh?" She hadn't really noticed she was unhappy until he pointed it out. Maybe, it was as he said, maybe being content was enough for him...maybe he was happy with life as it was. Her gut told her though, that the boy she grew up with was a more truthful testimony to his feelings. She remembered him at thirteen, fourteen, and even fifteen, saying always that things should be better and that things would change...but she pushed it aside. He was twenty now, a lot of time had passed, and a lot of things had changed.

"No, it did not appear to me that you were unhappy. I always thought that you would be able to look past the bad in your life to find happiness and work for it." Neji patted her shoulder. "If you strive for what you want, you can have it."

Tenten smiled and shut her eyes. "Maybe." She wanted the ever unattainable. She wanted him, clueless, stubborn, arrogant...him. "Try to rest, sounds like that storm's going to be here early."

"There won't be much time. We should prepare." Work would force them to focus on things other than their lack of certain aspects of life.

* * *

I apologize in advance for any formatting errors that may have slipped through. My word processor and doc preview do NOT get along. Every time I submit a chapter there are so many formatting errors that I have to correct, because for whatever reason, none of my changes save entirely. If I try to fix too many things, entire parts of the document wind up transposed or deleted, so don't kill me if sentences are duplicated like last chapter. I'm also sorry about the delay in updating! Kigen and I were exceptionally busy with the holidays!


	18. Chapter 18

**Disillusioned**

By: Faraway Dawn & Kigen

Disclaimer: blah blah blah the usual…Kigen and I own nothing but our computers.

**Chapter 18**

* * *

The rain had started an hour earlier than expected, which was greatly to their benefit. Neji's idea of preparing for work, was apparently meditation, Tenten resisted the urge to roll her eyes at him. He needed an hour of meditation, while she did all the security work? "You're going to have to bind some of your own chakra to that tag." She told him tossing a spare to him before cutting her own hand and smearing her blood across the seal. She shifted the pillows carefully under the covers of the bed. "You know, next time they come to observe us, I'm just going to read, you can fake a nap or something. I'd rather we not further strain our relationship again." Her hand slipped the tag under the blankets and she stood back to admire her work. A good few punches to the pillow did wonders.

Neji just nodded, taking the charm and smearing his own blood on the tag. He would rather pretend that the particular situation had never took place and would do everything he could to avoid it happening again. He arranged the pillows, placing his tag under the covers. "It's a bit sad that the forces of this village can be deceived by some well placed pillows and chakra tags." He muttered, smoothing the blankets. It was all the better for them though. "Are you ready Tenten?" He stood, taking stock of the materials he had prepared.

"I'm not complaining. The easier they are to deceive the more we can get away with." Tenten locked the kitten in the windowless spare room, with plenty of food, water, and of course his litter box. If the cat displaced the chakra tags, it would be a disaster. The kitten's cries immediately made her feel guilty, and she soothed it through the door, assuring it that they wouldn't be gone all that long. "Aw...man I really am going way too soft." She muttered returning to the room and grabbing her scrolls. She tugged on her gloves and shoes and nodded to her partner. "I'm ready."

"Good." Neji pulled his gloves on and opened the door. He would have asked if she knew the plan, but he new that Tenten wouldn't need any reminders. "Let's go." He took off into the rain, quickly making his way back to the first building. "Still the same as last time?" He muttered, looking over the chakra field, checking for the weaknesses.

"Yeah it's the same, I didn't expect it to be any different." Her eyes raked the village while he examined the building. Visibility was practically non-existent in the heavy rain. "It's just as strong as it was last time too." She muttered, ignoring the wave of dizziness that washed over her for a few moments.

Neji reached out, grasping her by the shoulder. "You're not getting sick too, are you Tenten?" It had been bad enough when he got sick. He didn't know if he'd be able to do the same for his partner if she became ill.

Tenten shook her head. "I just feel like this near this building. It's fine when I get away from it. It's just this chakra I guess." She assured him that the feeling would pass in a few minutes.

"The chakra?" He murmured. It was rare for anyone to become ill from just being exposed to chakra, he thought a moment and took a chance. Increasing the flow of chakra to his byakugan, he looked at the flow of chakra through the building, searching for its source. "Something isn't making sense." He murmured, looking deeper into the chakra lines. It would be exceedingly difficult for any shinobi to maintain such a perfect field of chakra through a building so large with no weaknesses in the field. Not only that, but the chakra was moving smoothly through both stone and glass, and very few types of stone allowed for smooth chakra flow.

Tenten tensed immediately. "We need to move now, there's a patrol coming this way, suppress your chakra and let's get out of sight now."

Cursing under his breath, he deactivated the byakugan, noticing a strange flint of chakra. She was right, there was a patrol coming. He forced himself into the shadows with Tenten and pulled his chakra as deeply into him as he could. He held his breath as the patrol came dangerously close. Neji made sure Tenten was shielded from sight behind him out of shear habit.

They could hear the ninja talking over the pounding rain, reporting the perimeter status. The patrol was much closer than she thought. Still, she could feel the twinges of Neji's chakra. She remained as still as possible, daring not even to breathe as the patrol looked around, almost directly at them and squinted in the rain. The rain and darkness would simply have to be enough, and she hoped the ninja would not be able to pick up on Neji's chakra. The few minutes the patrol looked around felt like an eternity, until finally he continued on his way. "That was close." Tenten muttered releasing her held breath when the ninja's chakra finally moved out of range.

Neji frowned, thinking of what he had just seen. He stared at the dark window and tried to sense the flow of chakra. His own chakra should have caused a slight ripple, but it didn't look like the chakra had even been disturbed. Even without his byakugan and trying to keep his own chakra suppressed, he could see that there was something wrong. "Something just isn't right." Neji said, moving to a different window the patrol had passed. There hadn't been a change in the chakra, not a ripple. The entire time a perfect field had been maintained, that was simply impossible. Even an ally's chakra in passing would be enough to cause a small distortion in the field. Testing his theory, he laid his hand on the cold glass.

"Touching the building won't do much, it's trying to enter it that causes a disruption, I made contact with the building when I was first here, it's when I tried to open the window I noticed something wrong." She answered leaning closer.

"What was it?" Neji asked, testing the chakra shield. It still was doing nothing, ignoring the laws of chakra. The pressure of his chakra being forced into the stone should have interrupted the field.

"I couldn't even feel the chakra entirely until I tried to open the window. I just felt a bit dizzy, but I figured it was because I was tired." Tenten looked inside the window. It was still the same, dark and impossible to see either floor or ceiling. "I still can't determine how high up this window is in the actual building."

"The chakra doesn't extend past the ground." He muttered to himself, still thinking. Why would the security stop at ground level? There was something he wasn't seeing, something that wasn't adding up. "The shield isn't real."

"What?" Tenten's attention turned immediately to her partner. "You can feel it though, you saw it too. How can it not be there?"

"It's not making any sense. It doesn't extend below the ground, there are no weak points, and I can't sense where the chakra is coming from. It has to be genjutsu. No shield is this flawless." After all, there was no such thing as an impregnable fortress.

"You can see through a large amount of genjutsu though, if it's genjutsu why can you see a chakra field that you can feel also?"

"Genjutsu affects all the senses. It can make us feel things that aren't real. This is too flawless. It can't be anything but an illusion. No one can maintain a chakra field this large without gaps."

"Neji, why can't you see through it?" She tilted her head to the side. They were getting soaked staying out in the rain, debating the situation of the building's defenses. "If it's genjutsu, you should be able to see through it, you've always been able to."

"It's an advanced jutsu. Higher level than I can see through at my current ability. A sharingan user would have better luck. You said it makes you feel ill? You said before that you hate genjutsu and how it makes you feel." Neji muttered, standing up. "Your body is reacting to it, because of how you mentally perceive genjutsu. The building where you found the files, it's defenseless and is connected to the tunnels right? We can get in through there."

"Yeah but the tunnels have a lot of security..." She shook her head slightly. Security could be dealt with. "It's west of here, the window I used to get in faces the northern part of the village."

Neji followed Tenten through the village, as they slipped into the building. She made sure not a drop of water would be noticed, and not a single speck of dust was disturbed. He got a quick look at the multitudes of boxes filling the warehouse. Then she opened the door, and they entered the tunnels. They walked in silence, completely undetected.

It was too quiet.

Tenten felt uneasy. There was a total lack of traps, security, and there wasn't even so much as a hint of danger. Neji had obviously picked up on it too, his eyes shifted every so often from one wall to the next. They were rapidly approaching the point at which she stopped going forward, and then they were met with an annoying predicament.

A dead end. At least that explained the lack of guards. "That's odd, that building's chakra signature is coming from this direction." Neji breathed quietly.

"The wall wasn't here when I came down here." She whispered throwing a glance over her shoulder. "The corridor continued on a ways, then around a corner there were a few active guards. ANBU...I saw their tattoos. I figured that was in over my head."

"They reconstructed this wall recently. The wall was probably damaged at some point, which is why it wasn't here when you came in." Neji ran his hand across the wall. The rock was new, but very solid, they wouldn't be getting though. "We'll have to find another way."

"This much in two days? Psh...wish we could get our workers to do work that fast." Tenten quickly tugged Neji out of sight. There was a small passage nearby that she pulled him into. To her intense annoyance it was not a long passage. The only thing occupying the space was an open, empty, and very dirty crate. "Don't make a sound, stay low, make sure I don't pass out." She whispered quickly. Neji didn't have the chakra suppression training she had. "Suppress your chakra as best you can, I'll take care of what you can't mask." She could hear footsteps in the corridor. "Someone patrols the hall two times an hour for fifteen minutes." She continued as quietly as possible. "You'll have to tell me when they're gone, I can't sense chakra very well when I'm suppressing the chakra of more than one person."

Neji nodded, pulling her firmly against as he moved them both deep into the shadows. He suppressed his chakra as best he could. He was no amateur at chakra control but with shinobi so close to them, it was better to allow Tenten to help. He stayed still and silent, a hand pressing Tenten to the wall to keep her better out of sight.

The patrol maintained their position for an absurdly long period of time. They were discussing something he couldn't quite hear and didn't strain to hear for at least ten minutes. Then the footsteps started again. He waited until the guard passed, relaxing when they didn't even glance in their direction. "They're gone." Neji whispered once the steps faded away to nothing.

Tenten released her hold on his chakra and rubbed her head. "Your chakra is easier to work with than Sasuke's." She muttered grateful for her years of training with him. She would not admit that fifteen minutes of suppressing Neji's chakra still gave her a hell of a headache. "We really need to wait for a hell of a disaster, the security has been upped a good bit since the last storm." She glanced up at her partner. "We can't stay in one place too long."

Neji nodded, laying his hand on the back of Tenten's head to allow small traces of his chakra run through her system a moment. Even though Tenten never said anything, he knew that it gave Tenten headaches to confine chakra that wasn't hers. However, he gave her credit for being very good at it. "Let's move. There needs to be another way in."

"Next patrol comes through in fifteen minutes." She glanced toward the hallway. "There's another hall somewhere with an electronic lock, I heard keystrokes the first time I came down here. Can you find it?" She poked her head out into the hallway and looked around. Darkness greeted her sight each direction, but darkness would mean nothing to his eyes. "I might be able to open it from memory, sound, keystroke rhythm..."

"Of course I can," He answered quietly activating the byakugan. He felt the chakra rush to his eyes, and he focused on the halls. "The patrol came from this direction." He followed the passage, going through one tunnel to another. "Is this the room?" He asked, coming to an electronic keypad, just as she had suggested there may be.

"Looks like it..." It only took a few minutes for him to find it, which gave her a few minutes to figure out the codes. "Anything particularly dangerous behind it? I mean, we're not about to walk into a massive trap right?" She flipped open the panel and began to look at the keys. He would have to keep an eye on the halls. "If anyone starts to come, just I don't know… pull me away from the hall and out of sight." She hit each key in sequence to listen to the sound they made. Each stroke sounded different on keys, finding the exact sequence they were struck in would take a few minutes, maybe a few attempts, and could possibly get them caught. "Just so you know...this might trip a silent alarm, so be ready to get out of here."

"I know Tenten. We're alone for the moment. And unless the door has a chakra shield behind it, there's no one for several meters. Do what you have to do. I'll watch your back."

Tenten closed her eyes and took a slow breath before her fingers struck the keys in rapid succession, then hit the key marked 'confirm,' she cracked and eye open to glare at the red letters flashing on the panel.

'Incorrect Code. Lockdown in three failed attempts.'

Neji cursed under his breath. The lock was being monitored. If there were three failed attempts to open the door, the mission was in danger.

"I've had worse." She hit the keys a few more times, and again the message flashed. Two more attempts and the silent alarm would trip, and without a doubt, the hallways would lock down. "I've had much, much worse." She muttered under her breath trying again. The message flashed again. "This is the only access panel in the hall?"

Neji scanned the walls, finding another device. He went over examining it. "There's another panel, but it looks like it's key based." He said, confused. Why would the door have the option of key or code? "It's too complex to pick before the next patrol comes by."

"How long do we have?" She stared at the keys. Each click of the keys sounded correct. "If I trip the silent alarm, most electronic locks like this have a thirty second delay, in which to input the correct code to reset the lock. I'm not sure if I can figure it out that fast. Care to try this another way?"

"The next patrol should be here in a few moments. Are you up to hiding our chakra again?"

She smirked, he'd obviously caught on. "It's gonna be hard to mask yours with the byakugan activated, but I can do it for a short time."

He went over to a side hall, ducking into the shadows. "They'll be here in a few moments. I'll activate the byakugan at the last second."

She moved with him, and pressed herself close to him. Neither could be seen even with the faint light in the hall. Neji always was good at staying out of sight. Her hands worked through a few seals and she suppressed their chakra as footsteps echoed in the hall. She glanced up at him with a small smile. Punctual guard shifts made things so much easier.

He pressed closer to the wall, lacing a hand with Tenten's. It would be easier for her if their chakras were meshed. When he heard the footsteps echoing he muttered a quiet 'Byakugan' and kept his eyes trained to the keypad.

Tenten listened in silence as the keys were pressed. The guard cursed under his breath, something about rookies playing with the keypad. "Stupid kids, always playing with these things." She heard the man say. "They need to make these things idiot proof. Sector G clear." She heard the static filled transmission before she heard the door slide open. Another patrol walked slowly past their dark hallway, taking their dear old time in passing.

Neji waited a few more minutes until he relaxed his posture. "The code is eight-four-nine-two." He muttered, going over and entering the sequence into the security panel. He ducked through the door when it opened and glanced at Tenten when she followed him through.

"Lovely." Tenten muttered. She had been hitting the two before the nine. "I had all the right numbers, just the wrong order." She looked around at the seemingly empty hall. What had happened to the ninja that entered, why was it so cold, and why did the hallway smell strange? "Something smells funny." She whispered.

Neji's nose wrinkled as the smell hit. "Like a hospital." There was a slight smell of medicine with the overpowering odor of disinfectant in the air. When Neji inhaled a bit more deeply, he could detect the faint underlying scent of blood. "This is where part of the experimentation takes place."

"Or maybe where failed experiments end up." She nodded to a sign further down the hall that was lit. The word 'mortuary' was lit up brightly. "Or perhaps, where the 'samples' are being kept, they never said they were live ones." The halls were not made of natural stone, but cold steel and finely polished granite.

"I doubt samples would be kept alive very long." Why bother keeping a sample alive once the traits had been learned and DNA taken? It would be a liability to keep them alive longer than necessary.

"If we're under the hospital..." They couldn't be too far from the research facility. "Samples would have to remain cold, transporting them through the tunnels doesn't seem like a good idea, the passages are pretty narrow, too warm and damp. A dry, cold, sterile environment is optimal for transporting samples."

"The hospital would be the ideal place to keep samples. They could easily be explained away. No one would question a large amount of blood or tissue being kept in a hospital." Neji explored down the hall, peering through the files that had been left at work stations.

"Security camera." Tenten muttered pulling Neji around a corner. "Keep an eye on it, when it turns the other way I'll get rid of it. If they have rookies messing with locks, I'm sure security camera issues are...normal." She waited until Neji nodded, indicating the camera had turned before throwing a single kunai through the wires. "Camera disabled..." She picked up her weapon and glanced over his shoulder. "Anything useful?" She muttered while Neji went through the files.

"Names of the ninja that the samples came from, as well as some documentation on failed experiments." Neji said, looking through the papers and committing what he could to memory. He checked the next case of files, snagging a few prominent ones. Unlike the first set of files, these were dusty and starting to yellow around the edges. There was a good chance these would go unnoticed.

Tenten leaned against one of the walls and stared down an empty corridor. "...This is just way too easy. Something should have gone wrong by now."

Neji was hoping that the village was still mostly occupied by the storm, but knew that it was wishful thinking. "We should hurry." He still couldn't sense anything, but Tenten's comment put him even more on edge.

"Yeah and fast." She whispered, her eyes locked on a doorway down the hall. Assassins instincts perhaps, told her that something was about to go horribly wrong. "Oh shit." She whispered, hearing the clicking of keys just outside of the second door. Voices were coming from both ends of the halls. There were people on the other sides of their only two exits. The next guard shift was early.

Neji's eyes darted around the stark hallway. There was nowhere to hide and no exit that wouldn't put them against the enemy. There were multiple people approaching from the only other exit. They would be able to fight six of them and win; but it would ruin their cover if the cloud ninja were found unconscious; even if there was no evidence it was them. Seeing the ventilation shafts near the floor, he second guessed himself. His idea was too basic, something they learned in the academy; but it was the only place to hide if they wanted to remain undiscovered. "Tenten, quickly." Neji whispered harshly prying open the grate and tugging her down. He shoved her quickly inside before following and pulling the grate shut, grateful for every single fleck of dust in the grate.

His hand covered her mouth to force her to breathe more quietly and he tried to still the erratic beating of his own heart. He nudged her back a bit further and slid back silently to follow. 'Suppress our chakra, fast.' He mouthed to her, knowing she could read lips well enough to get the gist of what he was asking.

There was just no way it would work, she reasoned to herself. This was the most basic hiding technique in large buildings. So basic, even kids pre-academy knew it and after sliding far back into the vent she worked through the hand seals to suppress their chakra, horribly aware that they were likely to be trapped there far longer than fifteen or twenty minutes.

Neji again laced his fingers with hers, letting their chakras mingle. If they were discovered, he could most likely need to do the fighting and get Tenten out as she recovered. He held his breath as the guard walked by they. There was nothing amiss; nothing out of the ordinary. There shouldn't feel a need to look anywhere. He spared her only a single assuring glance to keep her as calm as possible so that her control would not waiver.

Ten minutes later though, Tenten's head was starting to hurt. The ninja who had been far too early for their patrol was gone, but now there were doctors standing around talking. Even with her eyes squeezed shut and her hearing growing fuzzy, she could hear a doctor yelling about how reckless exposing a child to such potent genjutsu was. Another was trying to calm the man, and then there was a familiar voice. "I assure you," the man said quietly, "that there is nothing anyone in this village can do to further warp the mind of that boy. Doctor, we asked you to tell us if he was physically capable of the jutsu he brags about the ability to cast, we didn't ask if it was ethical for us to torture a murderer." Tenten nudged Neji lightly. Just outside of the vent, were both a doctor, and two ninja. She could feel the overwhelming chakra of Haru, who had just spoken and she could feel the chakra of Nobaru.

Neji was gripping Tenten's hand tightly, well aware of their situation. He nodded to her once to show her he understood their predicament. He knew that Nobaru was one of the best ninja in the village, and Haru wasn't far behind. If anyone where to notice them without looking, it would be them. Thankfully the group seemed too busy debating to pay them any mind.

"Look Doc, I'm not any more fond of it then you are, but this kid has already slaughtered several civilians and our own ninja as well. The kid's gonna be sentenced to death anyway, we might as well get some good to come of this." Good test subjects were hard to come by anymore, Nobaru explained. Most everyone who could be experimented on already had been, and those remaining were of no use to the experiments or were not in adequate health for such testing.

The doctor answered the questions, clearly annoyed. His voice had a sharp clip to it when he spoke. "Of course it's possible, it's just not probable, maybe if he had been in the research group, but you said this boy has been doing these things for years? Without a skilled teacher I can't see how it's possible, he would have sustained serious injury learning to use the jutsu he claims he's capable of using. You're thinking of taking the boy's DNA for the tests aren't you??" The doctor was not happy about the thought. "Listen, the boy has no special traits that allow him to use such advanced jutsu, he's just a kid who is abnormally intelligent. You want to compare brain pans? Intellectually he's on par with that Uchiha prodigy. Physically he's probably on par with that Hyuuga boy that remains the interest of your research team...psychiatrically he's entirely out of our league. He's insane, a patholgical liar, and exceptionally violent. Nothing more to it."

"Even if there is a possibility, we have to take the chance. If he can do what he says, it will be a big step forward in the research. I'm not asking. I'm telling you to perform your duties as scientists and find out the truth." Nobaru stated with surprising authority.

"Doctor, do as you're ordered, these are orders from the Raikage." Haru said darkly when the older man began to protest. "Make no mistake, I have been authorized to use my jutsu against you and anyone who disobeys these orders." Haru's chakra flooded the small hallway. "I know you won't like what I've been given permission to do. I want the kid dead, not used for these experiments. The brat is a monster, but orders are orders."

Nobaru placed a hand on Haru's arm, subtly restraining him. He knew the other wanted to tear the psycho child limb from limb, and wouldn't hesitate to do so to the doctor in his current state of mind. "I will assume that you will do as told without any more arguments doctor?"

"....I'll deliver the message to research, once my access card is reissued. Perhaps you should both just tell research yourself? I'm just a psychiatrist, last I knew you two had access to the main facility." The doctor grumbled and passed the two in the hall. "I'll send the results of my evaluation to one of you, and I'd like to recommend Haru, that you take another few days off, you're not mentally competent to be in the field right now. That boy has you rattled."

"He'd be a bit rattled if he watched a kid laugh after the kind of torture I subjected him to." Haru spat, his eyes followed the line of the dark hallway, lit only by emergency lights. "When are they having the funeral for the ninja the boy killed? I imagine the mortuary is getting a bit...full...from all these storms and that stupid boy."

"The funerals are schedules for after this storm passes." Nobaru kept his hand on Haru as the doctor walked off. "Fucking scientists. They can't just do as their told. They have to argue first, even if they know they aren't going to get their way." He did have to admit it was disturbing. He knew first hand how hellish Haru's genjutsu could be, and he couldn't imagine what unnamed level of hell Haru dreamt up for the kid. "Come on 'ru. Let's report to the Raikage."

Tenten could faintly hear the two leave, but noticed it took a long time for Haru's chakra to entirely dissipate from the area. On top of suppressing Neji's chakra it nearly knocked her unconscious. She released her hold on Neji's chakra, trusting him to do the rest, while she tried to deal with the excess chakra that left her feeling like the walls were closing in on her. Keeping her own chakra suppressed was a challenge with such a pounding headache.

Neji turned his full attention to Tenten, grabbing her and helping her out of the ducts. The coast was clear, but Tenten was starting to fade. He could see her already falling into the hands of unconsciousness. "Just keep aware a little longer Tenten. I'll get us back." He murmured, lifting and holding her to his chest.

She laughed quietly. "Sorry 'bout this Neji." She'd have said more if she could have. She knew it was best to not talk too much when she felt like she was going to lose consciousness. She was sure he knew, that dealing with so much chakra, on top of suppressing two people's for so long was exceedingly taxing. It didn't help that the chakra detection of those she was masking their chakra from, was unnaturally high, according to records. "You can find the way back right?" Of course he could, she knew normally, but her mind wasn't entirely processing that fact.

"Easily." She really was out of it if she had to ask questions like that. "Just hold on and I'll have us to the house in no time." The trek out of the tunnels was easy. Now that Neji knew where he was going, it was only a matter of minutes until they were out in the rain once more.

The rain brought her back to her senses more than anything. "Sorry, I couldn't take too much of that." Tenten managed to mutter when they got closer to the house. "That guy...his chakra...well...you felt it right?"

"Murderous. It was practically suffocating. I think I might feel bad for that kid they were talking about." Neji said, hurrying through the rain. "Though the way they were talking, the kid must have done something horrible to get him that upset."

"That's the guy, the one who has a higher genjutsu score than Sasuke." Tenten answered, only slightly aware of the cold of the rain, or the wind. "He's the one I bumped into at that store. I've dealt with genjutsu users before." Tenten paused a few minutes before resuming, partially to force herself to remain awake. "I hate genjutsu, no one should be able to mess with people's minds the way genjutsu does, but...all that...from just his chakra...and he said the kid laughed afterward?"

Neji shrugged. "So this country has its share of messed up bastards. It's not that surprising. Look at what's come out of our own country." He knew what she meant, but didn't want to think too deeply of it at the moment. There was too much other information to go over. She didn't even notice that they had arrived at the house, her eyes were unfocused and she was repeating herself when she spoke.

She apologized again for being unable to handle the chakra. "I could have gotten us caught." She said when Neji set her down on the couch, which she promptly fell sideways on. She buried her head deep into a pillow and tried to drown out the sound of the rain and thunder. "Someone could have seen you carry me." She knew, Neji had been careful though, he was always so careful.

"We lost your fur ball and had to go looking in the rain for him. You got tired so I had to carry you." Who knew the kitten would actually be good for something? "Do not start berating yourself because you had difficulty masking our chakras. You strained yourself an unreasonable amount. It's impressive that you held it for as long as you did."

"Thanks." She said quietly, hearing the desperate cries of the kitten in the other room. Clearly, the kitten had heard them come in. "I need more practice though, I shouldn't be getting headaches still." She managed to say before her hearing became too fuzzy to make out her own words. "You'll have to let me practice, with you sometime...when we're not in danger of being caught hm?" She asked when it passed.

"It's amazing headaches are all you get from that. Your skill level is rather high for someone your age." He went to grab some of the medicine she had bought, stopping to let the cat out as he did so. "You'll be able to practice in a few days." He handed her the pills and a cup of water. "Rest until then."

Tenten took the medicine, for once, without argument. "How much did you manage to bring back with us?" She let her hand drop along side the couch to pet the kitten she knew had already arrived. "Is it even of any use to us?"

"A handful of old files. It'll at least give us an idea of how they're going about what they're doing, their progress, as well as who is involved."

This time she only nodded in response. He'd probably spend the next day or so going over all the information. "I'd have been caught for sure if I had been down there alone." She tugged the pillow over her eyes but smiled a bit. "Would have been caught for sure if you hadn't been with me." She repeated, shifting slightly on the couch and turning against the pillows. "Even I know when...I'm in over..." Her words drifted off into the sound of rain and thunder, she was unable to resist exhaustion any longer.

Neji put down the files he had started to go through when Tenten quieted. Picking up the sleeping girl, he took off her wet clothing and laid her under the sheets of their bed. Brushing the hair out of her eyes he stood, he had a bit more work to do before he joined her.

Neji spent most of the night reading in the living room in silence. The kitten behaved, and slept on a pillow near his feet while he read in the candlelight. He was up until early morning, until the candle burned down and fell asleep on the couch. The next morning however, he was up early enough to have breakfast ready before Tenten woke up.

She ate well when she did, though he could tell she was still exhausted. He left her for a short while to read over the files, she said she'd clean up after breakfast while he took a shower and changed. She sat in her pajamas on the couch, reading over a file, recalling her state when she woke up. Her clothes were hanging to dry, she was in bed…at some point, Neji had removed her wet clothes and put her in bed.

She smiled and blushed slightly while she started sealing the files she had already read over in a scroll.

Outside, completely undetected, a visitor knocked on the residence, umbrella in one hand and a bag of goodies and a hot meal in the other. The woman was sure poor little Amaya was going insane with boredom by now, and doubted she had gotten a good, old fashioned lighting country homecoming. Humming to herself, she waited.

Tenten scrambled to hide some of the files still scattered, she sealed them finally in one of her scrolls and hid it from sight. "Just a moment." She called, before hurrying to the door. Hopefully Neji had heard all the commotion in the living room, and wouldn't come out without his eyes covered. She opened the door and blinked. "Karou...what are you doing out in this...weather??" She was still wiped out from the previous night, heck, she was in pajamas! "Ah, sorry, come in! Sorry I'm not really dressed yet, wasn't feeling well last night, slow to start too..." She hurried into the kitchen to clean up quickly. Somehow, in a few hours since waking, the house looked like a disaster.

Karou just waved off the mess. "Oh no darling, It's fine. I did stop by rather unexpectedly, didn't I?" She slipped off her shoes, placing her wet jacket and umbrella aside. Ah, the chaotic homes of newlyweds. "I remember my first few storms after marrying my husband. Seemed like every time we were stuck inside, we'd turn our house into a cozy little love nest for days at a time." She sighed. Ah, those had been the days. Before he got so involved in his work, now it seemed he was never home.

"I'm really not used to storms like this." Tenten tried to smile. "Tsubasa doesn't mind them at all, but when we lived in the Konoha the most we got was a light rain, and when I lived in Suna before that, well...sandstorms you know?" She quickly wiped down the counters and finished the dishes. "I'm really sorry about the mess, I'm usually on top of this."

"It's fine dear. I told you no worries. Next time, I'll give you a bit of warning to tidy up." She smiled, stepping into the kitchen. "I brought you and your husband a little house warming gift." She said, taking a towel and beginning to dry the dishes.

"I'm surprised you go out in this weather at all, Tsubasa and I try to avoi-" Tenten stopped mid-sentence. Neji had indeed come out with his eyes covered, but his shirt was undone and left most of his chest exposed. "....avoid going out in this weather." She managed to finish, reading the slight surprise on his face, even without seeing his eyes. "Speak of the devil." She smiled sheepishly at Neji, an apologetic smile for letting someone just come in with no warning.

"Oh hello dear! You must be Tsubasa. A pleasure to meet you in the flesh." Karou turned, surprising Neji with a quick hug and a pat on the cheek. "I hear from sweet, little Haru that you are going to be taking a teaching position in the near future. Bless your heart."

"Um, yes. T-thank you." Neji stammered, a bit taken aback. When he heard Tenten invite someone in, he had known it was a civilian from the lack of chakra, but hadn't expected such a friendly greeting. "It's a pleasure to meet you...?"

"Oh, where are my manners. My name is Karou dear. I'm just a housewife who helps run the local grocery store when the storms are in full swing."

"She's the one I told you about Tsubasa...her husband is always busy, research or something silly like that, is that right?" Tenten asked sweetly, knowing that Karou would be honest to a fault and answer her question.

"He's a scientist who works for the village." Karou smiled, going back to washing the dishes. She sighed. "Seems like he's been getting deeper and deeper into his work everyday. It's rare that he even comes home for more than a meal and a good nights sleep." Smiling sadly at the dishes, she looked up and let out a embarrassed laugh. "So sorry you two, I know you don't want to listen to my little bit of loneliness."

Tenten smirked for a few seconds over Karou's shoulder at Neji, before thinking of something to ask. "You know Haru well then? I've only seen him that one time, he seemed a bit...uh..." Tenten went about making tea, trying to find the right words. She didn't want to say 'violent' because she had supposedly only encountered him once. "Seemed a bit upset about something...I guess."

"Oh hunny, he's usually a sweetheart, but he's going through a really tough time right now. His sister died a few years ago in the early spring. Poor little dear. She was such a bright, cheery little genin. I cried my eyes out for days when I found out what happened. I knew the two since they were inside their mother's tummies. Haru's a few years younger than me, but I'm prattling on now." The woman accepted tea with a smile and thanks before continuing on, almost without stopping once for a breath. "At first the death was written off as a murder by nins from another country; someone said the sand village was behind it I believe, though I cold be wrong; because the whole team, instructor and all were massacred. Some even said it was an Akatsuki hit. It turns out it was done by a civilian boy down in the lower levels of the mountain's farming villages . He's been charged with quite a few murders. Poor Haru's always had such a soft spot for his baby sister, more so after their mother was killed in action. He's full of a terrible rage right now, not that I can blame him. Why, if I could have my way with that horrible, monstrous little- little demon; I'd give him a tongue lashing he wouldn't soon forget."

Tenten tilted her head. So Haru's sister had died? She shuddered slightly, recalling the horribly violent feeling the man's chakra had. There had to be more...there had to be. "You've known Nobaru a long time too?"

"Not a person in the village who doesn't know Nobaru. Sweet boy; but can be blunt when he means to be and has a damn near insatiable interest in the boys. I suppose he's already made a few attempts on Tsubasa here? Not that I blame him, lovely person that you are Tsubasa." Karou chuckled, petting the man's arm. "He's more than a little guarded when it comes to matter that aren't of the flesh. He's such a high ranking member of the village; in charge of the entire research department as well as overseeing the village in times of crisis. He's started to work his way into immigration as well after his latest fall out with Taiki."

Tenten handed the woman a cup of tea. "Taiki seems like the most normal out of all of the ninja we've met so far, we certainly have eh, more pleasant encounters with him." Tenten shrugged slightly at Neji. If he had anything to ask, it appeared they had found an open book.

"Taiki is. He stays in immigration because while he's just fine with ninjutsu and carrying out missions; he simply doesn't like too. He doesn't like the idea of hurting people, even though he will when necessary. Tried being a medic for a while too, but that didn't last too long. His chakra just isn't the kind that heals easily. It's a strong chakra, has a kick to it. Not the usual warm, calming kind like you'd expect from medic nin. He loves it much better where he is right now, even if he hasn't gotten much work with the low numbers of those entering our village."

Tenten sat down beside Neji and tried not to smile too broadly. "Taiki said someone would be getting in touch with Tsubasa about test dates for an instructor, I guess with all these storms things have just been too hectic." Karou was an indeed an open book. She figured, they could probably get any information they wanted out of her, as long as they were careful about how they asked it. Even secrets had their loopholes.

"Ah yes. Usually things are chaotic for the first week or two after the first storm. This second storm is rare though. Even though we get plenty of rain and storms during the raining season; usually we only have the flash floods and landsides with the first big storm. After that they usually taper off. You should have your test dates set up in a week or two. Don't worry about a thing dear. You must be going stir crazy here all locked up inside the house for days on end."

"We did have a stupid argument..." Tenten muttered.

Neji nodded in agreement.

Karou just waved her hand dismissively. "Don't fret over it darlings. It's completely normal, especially early in the relationship. All the changes, getting used to living with each other. It must be even more frustrating right now, what with being in another country and adjusting to certain.. changes." She gestured vaguely to Tsubasa's covered eyes. "When my beloved and I first lived together, ah that was a never ending battle. We fought over everything from his work, to chores, to how to properly hang that towels after using them. It'll get better with time as you two start to get more used to each other and accept each other's quirks and habits.

"We've never really had an argument since we married, till a few days ago...Not quite like that one, I mean." She didn't want to elaborate on what the fight was about, how did you tell someone anyway, that you and your teammate and best friend of many years, had stopped speaking over fake sex? It sounded more pathetic the more she thought about it. Of all people, she never expected Neji to... _I never thought he'd hesitate. It's not like I was telling him to actually have sex with me!_

"That's completely normal dear. I'm honestly surprised that it took this long for you two to have a significant squabble. You've barely been here a couple months and you've just now had an argument? That's one for the record books, with weather like this most couples start having fights in the first week." She chuckled.

Tenten leaned against Neji's shoulder. If she counted back, it had been years since they last had even a minor dispute. That was why it was so strange, not speaking to each other. Mission wise however, they had started out polar opposites with more disputes under their belts than they encountered in reality. "We get over things fast. I love him too much to stay mad at him for long, and he knows when he kisses me, my knees get weak and I'll pretty much do whatever he wants. He abuses it too."

"Though she's not without talents of her own. " Neji murmured, kissing Tenten's temple to Karou's simple delight. "She gets her way more often than she lets on. So don't let her fool you." He added with a smirk.

"Yeah I can convince him to cook, or give me a massage...my 'talents' hehe." Tenten smiled. At least, Karou was easier to convince than Nobaru. She wished momentarily that Nobaru could be fooled so easily.

"All talents within themselves dear." Karou smiled, going to the bag she had brought and reaching inside. "I made you two dinner, it's nothing special just sesame buns and some orange chicken and vegetables, as well as some cookies." She said, pulling out the container filled with sweets.

Tenten blinked, both of them would enjoy that meal. "You didn't have to go through any trouble for us..."

"Oh my dear Amaya, it was no trouble at all. I enjoy doing this for people. With poor Haru out of sorts, I've admittedly found myself making far too much than my husband and I can share."

"Guess you won't have to slave in the kitchen later." Tenten muttered to Neji. That meant they could spend more time discussing any strategies or discrepancies they located in the files. More work could be done, and maybe they could even take another night time excursion, if Neji was willing to let her go. He did insist that she spend most of the day resting.

"Enjoy being together while you can. The storm should be ending in the next day or two; it's already calmed enough that most nin have returned to active duty. You'll probably have one of the boys come knocking on your door in the next few days to get Tsubasa here working."

"It is going to get lonely here without him." Tenten said quietly. "Guess he won't get much training in if he's working. He was trying to teach me some basic self defense. I'm pretty hopeless at it. I suppose I'll have to practice on my own." She picked up their cups before standing and taking the empty cups back to the kitchen.

Karou was quick to help. "Hunny, if you want some basic self defense.... didn't you learn that in the academy? I know you didn't make it to genin, but even though you didn't advance, the academy should be more than enough for basic defense."

"I was more interested in dance than combat, I didn't really pass with flying colors. Tsubasa teased me about it every day for years."

"It's was all fair game." Tsubasa called from the living room. "You used to tease me for much worse than that."

"I used to tease him about being unable to dance..." Tenten laughed warmly. She had teased Neji once or twice about it. He had proven her very wrong. "Turns out he can dance quite well."

"We have different ideas of what constitutes dancing. I don't see how looking like you're having a seizure in the middle of far too many bodies is anyone's idea of dancing."

Karou chuckled quietly at the two of them. Oh how they reminded her of her and her husband.

"You stared endlessly when I was dancing in my mother's kitchen the week before we started seeing each other...Yes, I did see you staring." Tenten smirked wiping out each cup. "At least you weren't drooling."

Neji smirked, "You shouldn't dance in your underwear with the windows wide open like that. You scared the neighbors."

"Didn't scare you though." Tenten nodded to Karou when she blinked at her, admitting silently that yes, she really did do that once.

"I was horrified. Like two inexperienced genin fighting each other. You know it's going to be horrible, but you can't quite bring yourself to look away." Neji called back, teasing her while a smirk tugged at his lips.

"And two days later you turned red every time you spoke to me." Tenten answered putting away each cup. She smiled at Karou. "It was a learning experience of sorts, a few days later we had dinner together and...well..." Tenten shrugged with a grin. "Things happened."

"Wonderful story. Just like a scene outta Seduction of something or other, much better when you tell it though." Karou smiled, glancing at the clock. "Oh dear; I left later than I thought. I'm sorry you two, but I must go. My husband will be home soon, and I need to great him with a warm meal." She smiled, hugging Tenten and then Neji. "If you have any need of me, don't hesitate to let me know. I can show you how things really work around this town." With a wave and a smile, she was out in the night again, leaving the two to their thoughts.

Tenten chuckled when the door closed. "Open book."

"That was... disturbingly easy, if it wasn't for her complete lack of chakra. I would think she was a spy sent with false information." It was strange, that some of their more interesting real life encounters did sound like a scene out of that godforsaken movie, but it was mind blowing that people actually watched it.

Tenten hopped up and sat on the counter. "It explains a lot about that Haru guy, why his chakra felt so dangerous. They caught the guy who killed his sister...I imagine he wants to kill the kid."

"I don't blame him for that." Neji knew the pain of losing a loved one first hand. If he had been older, able to exact revenge rather than just hate the main house, he was sure he'd want the same.

"I wonder how much more she could have told us, her husband is a researcher..." Tenten looked down taking in the information. Karou was fond of her husband, she could tell by the way she spoke. "...We'll...have to kill her husband."

"There is a chance that he has nothing to do with the genetic experiments." The words were false hope, and they both knew it.

"Yeah...like there's a chance we're not here on a search and destroy mission." Tenten muttered sarcastically before resting her head in her hands. "How many other people's lives are we going to ruin?"

"It's our mission Tenten. It's not like what they've done is innocent either." Neji placed a hand on Tenten's leg comfortingly.

"They're just following orders." She said quietly. "I know...too soft for an assassin. I get lectured about it a lot." Her eyes fell on his hand before she looked back up at him. "I'm telling you this mission is making you really more the physical type." Not that she was complaining. Infact, his touch felt quite nice...quite nice indeed.

"There is nothing wrong with feeling compassion as long as it does not interfere with your work." His eyes drifted to where his hand was. "My apologies. This job is making me a bit more... loose in my ideas regarding physical contact." He removed his hand.

"It's an interesting change from your 'personal space' thing." She slid off the counter. "Don't worry, I won't tell Ino and Sakura....or your cousins."

Neji bit back a groan. "Please don't. I'd never hear the end of it if they were to find out. They would take it as an indication that I liked being touched; and would try to exploit the false fact."

"I'll especially make sure not to tell them about you getting sick then. Mostly naked in a tub of water with your best friend, and held the entire time?" She smirked. "I can keep it secret. I can even keep it secret that you let me play with your hair sometimes."

"It is no secret that you play with my hair. In case you've forgotten, I let you do that the first month we were teammates to stop your begging." It was true. When they had first became a team, Tenten had pet and poked and begged until Neji had finally given up and let Tenten play with his hair. Thankfully, unlike Hinata had when they were much younger; she was content with simply brushing a few knots out, and not turning his head into a messed up doll after a five year old had its way with it.

Tenten shrugged. "Your hair was softer than mine, and longer, most girls can't help but get envious. I mean...now though." Her hands brushed through loose strands of his hair. "You still let me, and you threaten anyone else who gets remotely near you."

"You've never come after it with scissors and sparkly hair clips." He explained simply allowing her hand to run slowly through his hair.

"Uh-huh...basically, you won't directly say it, but you like when I do it. It's ok I can keep that secret too, don't want Ino reading too deeply into that."

Neji rolled his eyes, "I tolerate it because it is not unpleasant. I never said it was pleasant." That would be admitting far too much to her.

"If you say so." She said quietly. "We going again tonight? If what Karou said is true, this extra storm is a fluke. She said most of the ninja are back on active duty, which is going to make our work a lot harder." She bit her lip. He was going to make her rest...she just knew he would make her rest.

"We have enough information to go over for the moment. They'll most likely be making up for their lack of surveillance the past few nights with an increased amounts. Especially when they found that we disconnected a camera."

"If they found that, they already know there's someone in the village that's not who they say they are."

"Even more of a reason not to risk it." They could in fact have them under surveillance soon. Nobaru would certainly be paranoid enough to make it so.

"I don't think you'll be watched too closely. Not yet anyway." She rolled her eyes and leaned back against the counter. "They'll be watching me though. I guess it's a good thing I'm still a bit wiped out. I can fake sick for a couple days, say I caught something from you."

"That would work." He listened to the rain hitting the roof. Should he risk it? Should he go out alone like she had? He could admit that he would have been screwed without Tenten the previous night; but she hadn't recovered enough chakra to go out again.

"I don't want you going out again without me...but since you're old enough to make decisions on your own without me yelling at you about it, I could give you a few tags." She explained the more useful tags she carried and only used in emergencies. "They work the same way as me suppressing your chakra. The tags work for about twenty minutes at a time." She didn't tell him exactly how they worked though, just their basic function.

Neji nodded, listening to Tenten as he collected his gear. He was already planning on going to another building of interest that night. It would be far too risky to go to the same building as the previous night. "Thanks. I'll be back before sunrise." He opened a window and paused. "Remember, if you hear any alarms, don't wait."

She handed him a few of the tags and smiled. "Yeah, yeah...get out of here...I'll make sure to be discreet when I save your ass. No explosions...well maybe one or two...so just try not to get in over your head ok?"

"I'll be fine Amaya." Neji frowned. He had no doubt that Tenten would risk her life to save him rather than do the smart thing and return to Konoha with the information they had. "You stay out of trouble as well. I don't want to hear that you accidentally let your kitten get lost in the rain again." She didn't need to go out and do her own work.

"I'll stay in bed and read a book." She smiled. "Now get going, the wind is picking up, good cover."

Neji nodded and jumped through the window, vanishing into the rain. It would be many hours until he returned, so Tenten sighed and shut the window before crossing to the bed. She sat and grabbed a book, turned on the light, and laid down next to the kitten. She didn't want him to worry about using the tags, so she hadn't explained exactly how they worked and she flipped open her book to wait. It would only be a matter of time till he used a tag and sapped a large portion of her already depleted chakra. "I know," she told the kitten, "not my best idea ever."

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**Phew, all done! Another chapter, somewhat long again. 19 is in the works and wow reviewers, you're all wonderful. Even those of you that don't review, do love ya. If anything slipped by the all mighty docpreview I apologize. T.T**

**Note: Due to well, life and some things that have come up that must be taken care of, I'm updating a few days early and I won't be updating till Feb 14th. I know I know...I just have some very serious health problems that need to be worked out before Kigen and I get back to the grindstone. All's good! No worries! I won't abandon the story!**


	19. Chapter 19

**Disillusioned**

By: Faraway Dawn and Kigen

Disclaimer: Blah blah blah, nothing is owned as usual, wow these things are repetitive eh?

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**Chapter 19**

Neji sat on the edge of the bed, reading over the files he had pilfered from his latest outing. Tenten was lying in bed, a bit pale, and very unconscious. The outing hadn't returned much, a few files on the psychological evaluations on those who underwent genjutsu enhancement, and reports on those who endured genjutsu tests. He was reading through Haru's files and was growing worried. It at least explained the murderous, suffocating feel of his chakra the night before.

Hearing a soft mumble behind him, Neji turned, and watched as Tenten's eye lids fluttered.

"Nn...aw man, my head." She mumbled. "N-Neji? How many of those tags did you use?" She couldn't tell if he was actually there or not, but she thought she could feel someone else on the bed.

"Three. Care to tell me why I came home to find you unconscious in bed?" Neji snapped the file shut, turning fully to sit beside his partner.

"Mm, 'cause they work exactly like me suppressing your chakra, or didn't you hear me say that?" She sat up slowly. "Well, ok so it's a bit more complicated than that." She grabbed a tag from the back of her book and held it up in front of her. "The ink on these seals is made from a combination of ink and blood, my blood, it's tied directly to my chakra. When it's used, it draws on my chakra. I usually have to give them to Sasuke to use, he's not exactly the best at masking his chakra when he's using the sharingan." Her vision was a bit blurry still, but she tried to look directly at her partner. "They work perfectly though, and instantly, unlike standard chakra suppression."

Neji frowned in response. "I'm very sure that you left that tidbit of information out." Despite the fact that the tags had worked brilliantly, he could tell from the glazed look in Tenten's eyes, that she had gone well beyond her limits. "Why didn't you tell me how the tags worked? I could have avoided using them unless necessary." All he would have had to do was take a few less risks. "What if I had used them all? It could have killed you."

"Nah, I can take about twenty tags used consecutively before my life is in danger. They were tested extensively before my team was allowed to use them. If you had nearly killed me, I wouldn't be having this conversation with you for about two weeks." She said quietly. "I only gave you five, worst case scenario I would have been out for three days straight." She let herself flop back onto the bed. "I didn't tell you because I didn't want you to hesitate if you needed to use them."

"Even after what happened when we were out?" He asked. Neji sighed and ran a hand through his hair. He hadn't been this frustrated since the first few times he had to deal with leading a team with Lee and Naruto on it. "You should have told me the truth. I could have easily avoided using them if I had known that it was draining your chakra." He had know her chakra was in them, her chakra was in all of her tags. How did he not notice the previous night how much of a strain it was on her to suppress his chakra? How was it, that he didn't guess that the tags might have the same effect on her?

"Without risks, there can be no rewards." She could, despite her exhausted state, sense his frustration. "Don't worry about me, I'll be fine in a few days." Her eyes fell on the file beside him. "At least you got something out of all of it. I'd hit you if you drained all my chakra for nothing."

"The psych evaluations of several of those who underwent Genjutsu enhancement, including Haru." He explained quietly. "Can you see straight enough to read, or do I need to read the report to you?"

"If you make me read I might get sick to my stomach." She admitted. The room was still very blurry, and she was certain half of it was tilting side to side.

"I'll save you from the specifics then." He laid a hand over Tenten's eyes to close them. It would be easier if she wasn't looking at the room when it started spinning. "Most of the ninja who took part in the experiments for genjutsu enhancement didn't survive with the best mental health. Several went insane or lost their touch with reality afterwards. Haru was one of the few that survived unscathed enough to continue duty." Neji flipped through the papers, the file was very thick. "Haru's genjutsu are rather nasty. It wasn't uncommon at first for him to turn people insane; going past putting them in illusions and just breaking their minds. Several victims attempted suicide." Neji skimmed past the more gruesome details of what Haru's test subjects attempted to do to themselves in madness. "His chakra and genjutsu are mostly under control now. However it's noted that they tie strongly in with his emotions, as does his chakra. It explains why his chakra was so strong the other night."

"So we felt like he could easily kill us, because he really wanted to kill someone?" Tenten asked quietly. "How bad are the genjutsu? Don't spare me the gory details, I want to know what we're dealing with." She shifted slightly in the bed, rather enjoying the warmth of his hand over her eyes. "I've been through some horrible genjutsu, I want to know how much worse this guy is."

"They're bad, the severity sort of depends upon his mood. It looks like no one who's ever suffered his genjutsu while he was in a bad mood came out completely sane." Neji said grimly as he flipped through the pages. While there was little as to what actually occurred in the genjutsu, there was plenty on the victims after they recovered from it. "Looks like this guy pretty much takes a look around your mind, and makes you live out the most horrible scenario you can imagine enduring, and causes you to relive it a few times. Similar to genjutsu created by sharingan users, except it appears less likely that you will come out sane from this man's jutsu." The way the files looked, anyone who suffered one of Haru's genjutsu came out seriously fucked, even if he went easy on them.

"So nothing worse than I've already been put through for ANBU assassination training. Good to know." Tenten muttered. "I imagine he could do a number on other people..."

"There's mention that his genjutsu levels are higher than most, but nothing specific on how high it is." He closed the file. "He should be in intelligence and interrogation, not assassination and guard duty."

"Assassination is a favorite place for genjutsu specialists. They make teams abnormally effective with slight distortions to reality." Tenten agreed though, interrogation usually lacked somewhat in questioning skills, genjutsu specialists could force out answers better than almost any physical torture could. "Maybe he's not in interrogation because they were concerned. Lunatics ramblings aren't the most legitimate confessions."

"The way the files read out, he seems to have a similar ability to Ino and her father." Though there were definite differences in abilities, Haru seemed to be able to see through minds, even if he couldn't take over bodies. "And if the information is pulled out during the genjutsu, it doesn't matter what happens after it's done."

"Great. There's nothing worse than someone who can go right through your mind without taking you over." Tenten paused for a few minutes while a bout of dizziness passed. "How do we know he hasn't already done that to me?"

"I would have noticed. The downside to his skills, is that it requires him to use quite a bit of chakra. If he were to have looked through your mind, I would have noticed it. His test results indicate that it leaves behind a large amount of residual chakra."

"Well at least he can't make me go through anything worse than I've already experienced." She sighed. "I think you and I have already been through some of the worst experiences people can live through."

"We have." He paused a moment, drew his hand away, and studied her. "How many fingers am I holding up?"

"Four?" She tried not to laugh at Neji's question. "I haven't been asked that one in years."

"I'm holding up three. You're still completely exhausted." He sighed and pulled the blankets up to her chin. "Go to sleep."

"You need to sleep too, you're the one who was out all night...using all of my chakra. Stop looking so worried, seriously I'll be fine in a few days Neji."

Neji sighed again, rose to hide the files, and got ready for bed. "You can't keep things like that from me Tenten."

"I didn't give you more than I could handle. There's a lot of things I don't tell you, mostly because you don't really need to know, besides you didn't ask exactly how they worked." She answered in an attempt to dodge the lecture.

"So I need to ask you increasingly specific questions from now on?" Neji raised an eyebrow.

"I didn't want you to be so careful you'd wind up in a more dangerous situation than you started in. I got a bit overprotective I guess. Didn't want you to worry about me when you had yourself to worry about." She tried to ignore what she referred to as 'the look' that Neji would give her occasionally. Usually when she was in trouble or he was annoyed.

"I've you time and time again that there are multiple ways to work out any situation. If I had known of your limits, while I would not have avoided using them if necessary, I could have found other, equally effective ways to complete the work. The whole reason you were to stay at home was to avoid this."

"What can I say, I'm an effective partner. I'm doing my job even from bed..." She attempted to make light of the situation, knowing that Neji's sense of humor was very limited. "Seriously...you don't know a lot of things about me Neji. You don't know why I hate genjutsu, you didn't even know that I developed those tags, you just found out a week and a half ago that I copied your taijutsu. Not knowing what they do is a pretty minor thing to leave out by comparison."

"I know that you hate genjutsu because they were used on you when you tested for assassination, even though you don't want to share the details. I respect that. However, I thought you would put a bit more faith in my abilities to let me know how the tags affect you. I trusted you to give me this kind of information." He finished changing his clothes and laid in bed with her. "I'm not putting your trust in me in question. You don't need to tell me things you don't want to."

"Neji, you don't tell me things when I ask you to just...tell me. Forgive me, for withholding information I thought irrelevant. Welcome to my world..." She shut her eyes and sighed. "I did my job as your partner, I made sure you were safe, even when I wasn't there. Sometimes I don't tell you things because it's just too much information that's irrelevant. You don't need to worry about your partner's health when they're safe at a house and you're in danger." She shifted slightly. "I know you're upset that I didn't tell you something. My point is, it turned out fine." Did it bother him that much, that she kept a small bit of information?

It did bother him. While he still trusted her, he was questioning her trust in him, no matter what he had told her. If she couldn't be bothered to tell him what he needed know, did she doubt his abilities as a ninja? "We'll talk about it in the morning Tenten. Get some sleep."

"It is morning, and we are talking." She leaned back into her pillow. "You need more sleep than me anyway, I was out most of the night after all."

"Do you really want to have another argument?"

"You'd lose. I can't see straight, but I can talk straight." Months before, he had asked if they thought they'd get sick of each other, and while she certainly wasn't sick of him, there were obvious, dramatic changes to their friendship. They were infinitely closer than ever before, and it was more obvious now, how little the best friends really knew about each other. There were still so many secrets... Tenten closed her eyes. "Ok, ok, so you'd win, but only because I let you. The sooner I concede the faster we make up and get over it."

_You're the one who's trying to turn everything into an argument lately_. Neji let out a frustrated sigh and rolled onto his side. "Go to sleep Tenten. Even if you did rest, you're still to tired to get out of bed."

Tenten likewise, shifted onto her side, facing away from him. "I'm sorry I didn't tell you, ok? I know a good few times you haven't told me everything I needed to know, to keep me safe, so don't hold it against me alright?" She said quietly before shutting her eyes and trying to sleep. She heard the kitten curl up on the floor beside the bed, content to just let her rest as sleep claimed her.

Neji closed his eyes and tried to sleep. Yes, he was being a hypocrite, but he cared more about Tenten than his mission, even if he would not admit it out loud. He would let her sleep and think what she liked. He wasn't going to let her be harmed if he could prevent it.

Most of the day passed leaving the pair undisturbed, Tenten slept longer than Neji, much to his relief. When she finally did wake up he was again sitting on the bed, reading through the collected files. Tenten hoped when she finally stirred, that Neji wouldn't be too annoyed with her. Her vision was still blurry, but it was darker, probably later in the afternoon and still quite stormy. "How long have you been up?" She mumbled sitting up slowly.

"Since eight." Eight was a heinously late hour for Neji. "It's nearly four o'clock. Are you hungry?" He paused in his work to look at Tenten. She certainly looked better, at least she was sitting up by herself and able to focus her eyes.

"Not really." She said quietly. "I'm sorry I didn't tell you exactly how those worked, Neji." It had obviously done some good though, he had returned safely with useful information. "So, what kind of risks did you take? You said you would have taken less if you had known. Enlighten me." She smiled a bit. "I'm kind of curious as to what was so risky that it knocked me out."

"The files. I had barely started to look through them when several guards came by. I could have easily retreated and returned a bit later; but used the tags instead. They were there for nearly an hour which is why I used three of them." Neji explained.

"Oh, wow, you're a lot kinder than my team." She laughed and tried to look over at the file. "Sasuke will blow through them like they're candy. Shino's a bit more reserved about it. Pft, Sasuke could care less what happens to me because of it." She squinted a bit to clear the blur in her vision. A few more days and she'd be back to normal, until then, she'd just have to try to take it easy.

"You just let them? It's a danger to your team if you're incapacitated." Not to mention a danger to herself. He was going to have a long talk with the Uchiha when he got back to Konoha.

"I'm usually in slightly better condition, admittedly though, Sasuke knocked me out for about five days once. Fortunately, I was undercover at an inn, and was pretending to be sick anyway. He said that was the only reason he used so many. Shino said he went overboard." She pointed to a portion of the file. "What's this about, um..." She squinted. "Classified genjutsu...forbidden from use except for execution?"

"This is the jutsu Haru uses, it turns his victims insane. There's no viable information regarding what he does during them, just the results." There were statistics of course, charts displayed chakra output, increases in pulse, respiration, and so on. "The files say that the ability was taken from several samples that hail from both fire country and water. Again, no details on who the samples came from." The files held as many questions as answers.

Tenten shifted a bit closer to read the file. "This effect here..." She shuddered. It sounded horrible. "Pain through the entire body, accelerated heart rate, increased body temperature..." Her eyes scanned the results. "Cases of the blood being 'boiled'? Genjutsu is all an illusion, I've never heard of results like this."

"I've only heard of it in theory. A genjutsu so strong that it convinces the body that whatever happens during it is real. The few cases where it worked involved skilled genjutsu users killing the person in their illusion. It sends them into shock and kills their physical body as well. These results don't seem real though." The disturbing part was, that it was true that the body goes willingly where the mind does. If genjutsu could force a mind to believe their body temperature was rising, who was to say the blood boiling as a result was entirely impossible?

"It's so hard to believe that could be possible. I mean, if that was the case, if someone cut you in genjutsu, you'd have the same physical injury. I know the mind is powerful and all, but is it possible to damage the physical body, with just the mind?" Neji had completed more missions overall than her, it was possible he had more information than her about it.

"Internally it's been know to stop the heart. Externally, I'm not sure. I've seen people cut themselves, while in a genjutsu, believing they were cutting their assailant. However, I've never heard of a cut just appearing." He knew little more than she did in these cases. His talents were ninjutsu and taijutsu.

"Sounds like this one guy is more trouble than Nobaru." Tenten rubbed her head lightly. "I mean unless you've found some files to make him a couple hundred times worse."

"There were no files on Nobaru that I could find. Look though," He picked a couple of files and flipped through them. "his name appears in quite a few records, mostly signing off on documentations of records. Whatever this experimenting is, Nobaru's playing a part in it."

Tenten perked up and looked over the files. "Weird, he's just a normal jounin isn't he?" Then her eyes widened. "That Haru guy signs off on a few things too. What that doctor said must have been true, they have access to wherever these experiments are going on." Haru's name was scrawled neatly across a line for security. "There's this box checked too, only on a few." There were two boxes, one marked 'genjutsu active' and 'genjutsu inactive' her eyes shifted back and forth between the two. "Active is checked a couple times."

"Most likely something to do with security measures or testing." Neji was spreading out the files, looking carefully at the different security lines and observations. "There are several names that show up on a regular basis, but Nobaru and Haru's show up the most. Especially in the cases with high probability to be a liability."

"Well that's something at lea-" Tenten froze. She distinctly heard someone knock on the door. She glanced at Neji. "I so did not detect anyone coming..."

"I didn't either." Neji quickly took the files and hid them in a scroll, handing it to Tenten. "Lay down and act sick." He whispered, wrapping the bandages around his eyes and moving quickly to the front door. Cracking it open he finally felt the faint chakra of the man outside. "Hello Taiki. To what do I owe the pleasure?" Taiki looked dead on his feet; which explained the lack of chakra that he and Tenten hadn't felt. "Are you all right?" The man looked like he was about to fall over.

"I'm fine...I wanted to stop by to let you know your test dates are set up." The chuunin tried to not sound so exhausted. "We're expecting more storms in a week, we wanted to get your testing in before the storms made landfall. It's an abnormal storm year. Some of the locals say it's a bad omen." Taiki chuckled.

"So we're in for more storms like the last two?" That would be disturbingly lucky, to have come in the year that gave them so many opportunities.

"It happens every fifty years or so. We're in for the entire season being this way. We'll probably get bad snowstorms this winter too." Taiki said quietly. "Do you mind if I come in? Nobaru wasn't far behind and I'm sure you'd rather not have him here right now."

"Please come in." Neji stepped back letting Taiki enter. He could feel Nobaru's chakra in the distance, far enough away that he wasn't a threat yet. "Please don't mind the mess. I'm afraid Amaya isn't feeling well."

"Must have caught what you had, I'm glad you're feeling better by the way. You were a mess the day...what exactly were you two doing out there anyway? Your wife was dressed like you were...both training." It had been bothering Nobaru more than him, but he assured him, he would ask to appease the overactive imagination of Nobaru. After all, how unlikely was it that Tsubasa's wife was, of all things, an active ninja?

"Despite my wife not being a true ninja, she does enjoy the occasional light spar and going through katas." Neji went to the kitchen to make them tea. "She was feeling a bit restless, so I suggest she come and train with me. Mind you that our levels of actual training are quite different, but it's enjoyable and a decent warm-up."

Taiki nodded. His argument exactly, Nobaru had been wrong, as expected. "The Raikage is interested in instating you as a jounin. Do you have any objections to taking the written exam? We'd give it verbally of course."

"I have no qualms if you believe that I'm suitable for the job. I thought you were planning on having me instated as a teacher though?" Neji had a suspicion that either the country was having a harder time with the weather then he originally thought; or that he may be wanted as a specimen.

"Most of our instructors are required to be instated jounin now. We only have two chuunin assistants at the academy, most of the chuunin instructors were removed from instruction when we realized our students were coming out more or less incompetent." Taiki sat down and ran a hand through his hair. "The genin have come out better since the change, but very few jounin are willing to drop active duty for teaching."

Neji nodded. "I see your reasoning. It is strange though, even the youngest classes are being taught by jounin?" Most of the jounin he knew would either kill themselves or blow up the offenders if they were stuck with a mass of small, screaming children each day.

"Raikage's orders." Taiki shrugged glancing down the dark hallway. "Your wife's chakra..." It was unbelievably distracting. It was so rare for any woman's chakra to drop so low. "She must be quite ill."

"Caught my cold, and made it worse when this little fur ball got outside." Neji snatched up the kitten that was pawing at his leg. "The cat got out in the middle of a storm and Amaya insisted that we go out to look for it. She didn't trust me to bring him home myself." Setting the kitten on the floor, he carried the tea to the table. "Then she tried to heal herself with medical ninjutsu. It backfired a bit. Amaya is a bit rusty."

"Poor thing, one of our jounin said they saw her out in the storm last week, coming home from the market. I imagine being out there in the cold didn't help." Taiki winced at a knock on the door. Nobaru had obviously caught up.

Neji groaned. "If we ignore him, will he go away?

"Probably not." Taiki said as quietly as possible.

Sighing, Neji stood and went to open the door, knowing he would regret it.

"Hi beautiful." Nobaru smiled, though he looked a bit ragged, he still had a cocky grin on his lips. "I came to check up on you and Taiki."

"At least you knocked this time." Taiki muttered. "You know I was only stopping by to talk about his testing with him." Nobaru had been 'checking up' on Taiki since the first storm. While it was nice that someone cared that he was overworked, it somewhat eliminated privacy.

"And you were planning on heading back to the shelters, even though the medics told you to take two days off." Nobaru stepped inside the house. "Wow, what happened to the she harpy's chakra?"

"She has a name." Taiki muttered.

"And a vagina. I don't care." Nobaru answered.

Taiki covered his face with his hand. Nobaru was as crude and blunt as ever. It was nice to see someone who for the most part, was unaffected by the weather and work.

"Amaya is ill. She caught my cold and tried to heal herself. It backfired and she's sleeping." Neji answered through gritted teeth.

"Right. When she was running around with you in the rain at night."

"She lost her cat." Neji explained.

"I'm sure." Nobaru said, leaning over Taiki who promptly pointed to the cat that had settled calmly on his lap. "Uh-huh." Nobaru placed a hand on Taiki's shoulder. "You done with your report?"

"Already filed it." Came the short answer. "Sorry about this Tsubasa...I was expecting to be able to go over the annoying details of the testing in private."

"I'm just making sure you follow doctor's orders. I'm leaving with you and making sure you make it home." He kissed Taiki's ear. He was also tired and stressed from additional time keeping Haru in check. There were even some questionable events in the tunnels. The damaged camera and keypad that was reported to be nearly on a lock-down raised a few eyebrows, but no matter how much they scoured the tunnels, all evidence pointed to some rookie chuunin who had forgotten his access codes and his girlfriend who worked in hospital maintenance. She already admitted that some damage had been done in the hospital when the kid broke in.

"It's all right Taiki. I'm sure we can go over this again when you're feeling better." Neji answered, genuinely eager to get Nobaru out of the house.

"I'm fine." Taiki said again. "Next week there is a break in the storms, will you be ready to take the tests then?" Taiki asked quietly. The sooner they got it confirmed the better, fair weather was so hard to predict. Testing was easier in fair weather, because the testers were less likely to be called to additional duty.

That would be a week to get some more work done until he went deeper. "That will be fine." Neji watched, confused. Taiki didn't even flinch or swat at Nobaru when he kissed him.

"I'm going to have to arrange for another person to test you, our standard tester is eh..." Taiki searched for a word..."Indisposed at the moment. His mental state right now is...a bit too uncertain to be testing anyone."

"A bad mission?" Neji asked. It seemed like everyone had been working with the flooding and landslides.

"His sister's murderer was recently captured...he's been a disaster since the boy was captured." Not that I blame him. Taiki thought glancing slightly at Nobaru. "His sister was brutally raped and murdered, the boy was interrogated, and laughed through most of the interrogation. Haru's not been taking it well."

"Okay, time for bed for you." Nobaru helped Taiki to his feet. He was starting to spill to much. Even if Tsubasa was most likely going to become a ninja; there were still security. "Let's get you home, and I'll stay with you all night." He kept his usual harassment to a minimum.

"I said I'd be fine. This isn't classified information Nobaru, half the village already knows about the boy. The village has a right to know when we are containing a violent criminal within our village." Immigration Policy: Citizens have the right to know about on goings in the city that could possibly pose a threat to their security. It was a simple rule that everyone in immigration agreed with. The village had too many secrets.

"You and I both know that Haru wouldn't want people to know beyond the murder." Nobaru murmured softly into Taiki's ear. "Come on, we're going home now." He nodded at Tsubasa. "See you later sexy. Make sure that the missus doesn't die, and that the cat stays inside." Taiki said something about matter of public record on their way out the door, and finally began putting up a fight to Nobaru staying the whole night, he wanted sleep after all. "We'll sleep baby. I can take a night of just lying in bed." Nobaru waved his hand at Neji and pulled the door shut on his way out.

Neji turned and sighed in relief before noting Tenten standing the hallway. "So what was that all about?"

"The tests for my initiation will take place next week." Neji walked over and led her back to the bedroom. "It looks like Haru is out of commission for a while."

"I heard them say they wanted to instate you as a jounin, I thought they were only going to have you test in as a chuunin." It worried her slightly, and she had heard something about all the academy instructors being jounin now, but surely that was hard to do, not many jounin would do it.

Neji nodded. "The genin that came out were incompetent. They switched to jounin so that the genin would be at a better level. As a result, I'm being initiated as a jounin, even though I wasn't a jounin in Konoha."

"But you were well on the way..." Tenten smirked. Sometimes people were just so gullible. "He still thinks I'm a ninja doesn't he?"

"He's questioned searching for the fur ball, but he didn't push very hard. He seemed a bit preoccupied."

"Fine by me. Still it makes me just wanna..." She wanted to hit something a few times. Many times perhaps...then her head started to hurt. "...ugh sleep this off." She muttered falling back on the bed.

"Your chakra's still weak." Neji covered her with a blanket. "Do you need a boost?"

She quirked a brow at him. Her chakra was recovering rapidly. "A boost?" Neji should have noticed, with minor rest she was recovering faster than she should have, another little secret. Advanced chakra control training allowed her slightly faster chakra recovery than her old team..._Eh it's been a few years since he's seen me with such low chakra, he probably doesn't know._ "You know there are only a few ways to boost another person's depleted chakra." It was true, there were very few things, and as Ino frequently pointed out, sex had many health benefits. She quickly regained her train of thought. Neji sure as hell wasn't talking about that. Hell would freeze over first.

"Yes. I was talking about my chakra giving yours a nudge. What were you thinking?" He laid his hand on Tenten's and massaged it gently, he noticed quickly that even without his help, her chakra was recovering strangely fast.

"An old discussion with Ino." She said quietly, smiling slightly. "It was the 'health benefits of sex' discussion. I didn't learn anything I didn't already know, but still...there are various tests indicating male and female chakra recovers at an accelerate-eh....you don't need details."

Neji nodded. "In the act of sexual intercourse, when the bodies become one there is a mingling, an exchange of chakra in a similar matter to bodily fluids. This exchange can cause several reactions within one's partner. These reactions include an increase in chakra, a temporary quickening in recovery time, as well as an increase in base chakra. However, it can go the other way as well, and could lead to possible chakra poisoning depending on the chakra interaction of the two involved." Neji recited from memory of medical reports.

Tenten blinked. "Nice recap, read the medical reports much?" It all sounded so much better when Neji said it. Ino made the entire room fidget uncomfortably.

"I contemplated being a medic nin for a few months and did a bit of base study. I assume Ino's version sounded more like a dirty porno?"

"That's putting it lightly, you have a better voice for it. She made it sound like there would be a live demonstration." _Mom was right, he does have a bedroom voice._ Her thoughts brought a tinge of red to her cheeks. _Well he does…_

"Perhaps she was hoping for one." Neji stood, stretching lightly. "I'll go prepare dinner. Even if you aren't hungry, you should eat."

"She might have been, the only guy within a twenty yard radius wa-" Tenten shook her head. "Never mind, dinner sounds pretty good now actually." She forced herself out of bed and followed him slowly.

"Oh? Who was it?" Neji asked as he stepped into the kitchen and took out the frying pan.

"You." Tenten laughed, walking as quickly as she could without falling. "You were passing by Ino's shop, probably just got back from training with Lee, I had a sprained wrist, so I wasn't much help in training."

"Hoping for a demonstration is as far as it would get."

"We were only sixteen," Ino had always been the type to never take 'no' for an answer. "she was always very certain we were more than just friends." She had always been half correct.

"She wasn't wrong. We are more then friends."

Tenten flopped down on the couch. It had taken her longer than expected to walk out of the bedroom, down the hall, and to the living room. She was grateful however, that she made it in time. Her mind drew a total blank. More than just friends? To him? Were they? Wishful thinking, she told herself a few times. "You just admitted Ino was right about something. Are you feeling alright Neji?"

"I'm feeling fine." Neji was chopping veggies and noted that he was not quite as fast at food preparation as Tenten, nor as anal about perfectly sized pieces and portions. "I was admitting that Ino can have a moment of clarity. Though, it is a tad obvious. Just about anyone can see we're more than just friends."

"You do know what 'more than friends' means to girls...right?" Tenten had to ask, she was certain that he didn't quite grasp what Ino had meant when she suggested it. Certainly, Neji didn't think they were...that way...right?

"You mean involved?" Neji asked, glancing over his shoulder. "I merely meant that we are best friends." No wonder Tenten sounded so confused. Everything had multiple meanings to girls.

"Yeah, 'more than friends' means different things when you have the Y chromosome I noticed." She laughed slightly. He really had her going for a minute or two. "When Ino said we were more than friends, she meant, that we belong together."

"Belong together? Or thought we were going to get together?" It wasn't an unpleasant thought, especially considering he'd have no say in his future wife. However, Tenten wasn't of the right social standing. There was no way that the elders or his uncle would ever allow it.

"I told you Ino had that whole 'soul mate' thing going on for a time?" It wasn't as awkward to talk about it now, as it would have been four years prior. "Well she was sure...about us I mean." Tenten waved a hand dismissively. "I told her it would never work, even if we both wanted it to, and we just weren't that way anyway."

Neji nodded in the kitchen, even though Tenten couldn't see him from her position on the couch. "Even if we both wanted it, it's not a possibility." Otherwise he would be considering it. The thought was starting to make itself appealing.

"I got annoyed with her one day, she got Sakura and even Hinata all into the idea of it," Tenten had snapped, and the majority of their teams had witnessed it. "I told them they were all just so clueless, no idea how things worked. Ino said 'You two would die for each other right?' I very stupidly admitted I would, and she said 'Well then you love him.' I-I don't think I spoke to them for about five days. I was really glad a mission came up at any rate." They had been kids, silly kids, who didn't know how things worked, but clearly could see the obvious. "I knew how things worked, they just didn't. I never let myself develop feelings for anyone beyond a certain point. I knew I was going to be an assassin, and certain feelings...they just hold you back."

"Feeling are good and all; they play an important part of life. I disagree with Ino's 'proof' though. Yes, you would die for me, I would die for you without a second thought. It's easy to die for someone. When we were still genin, I nearly died trying to bring Sasuke back. I would die to protect the village, I'd die for my mission. It's much harder to live for someone. Dying for someone doesn't say 'I love you,' living for them does."

For once, she had no answer. Clearly, they were on the same page about that. It was harder to live for someone, harder to devote your life to them, even harder when they never realized how long you had been doing it. That was where she and Sakura also agreed. Sakura brought up every sacrifice she had ever made. She was years behind where she should have been in weapon skills, but her taijutsu had flourished, helping him develop his further. She was unable to take as many solo missions as she could have, because she wanted to spend her time with him. She had caught up on her own, it took her an extra year and a half to become a jounin, and he still had more completed missions._ All deeds are rewarded in time_. He had outclassed the head family in taijutsu skill and not one of them could deny it. Their recognition of his skills and his potential had been worth every sacrifice.

"Dinner's almost ready Amaya. Do you want to eat in the kitchen, or should I bring it out to you?" Neji had taken the silence to mean that the conversation was over, and that Tenten was no longer interested in it.

"Huh?" She blinked a few times. "Sorry, spaced out, I haven't heard you talk like that in-" She thought long and hard. "A few years at least."

"We haven't had an opportunity to wax much on psychology and philosophy for a few years." Neji had a tray with two meals on it which he carried into the living room. He missed their long, deep conversations.

"We used to get yelled at for being out till nearly dawn talking like this." They were yelled at by multiple people, she recalled. Gai-sensei had lectured them about taking better care of themselves when they would nearly doze off during one of his less interesting lectures. Neji's uncle didn't just have a cow, more like five of them over it. Neji got a lecture almost every day, and at the time, really didn't care. Her father always told her she needed rest, with so many missions when they were genin and chuunin. Her mother though? Tenten smiled warmly. Her mother supported any and all time spent with Neji. "It was always worth it. I miss talking like that with you."

"I do too. Although, I never recall your mother giving us a lecture. She only scolded me once for, what was it? Bringing you home at such a late hour and not staying the night?"

She laughed and took a sip of her drink. "Yeah, and then she said the least you could do was stay and have breakfast, we didn't have to sleep, but you had to stay."

Neji let a slight smile curve his lips as he lifted his chopsticks, still holding his rice. "Imagine if your mother and Ino had gotten together with their plotting when we were younger."

"They did." Tenten smirked eating some of her food. "I heard them talking the day you became a jounin. Yeah they're bad alone, they're a nightmare together."

"I can't even imagine. How did you survive?"

"Gaara, Temari, and Kankuro were with me, I had to escort them to the village, I let Temari talk me out of it. I think Gaara scared my mom a bit too."

Neji chuckled softly. "That's why we weren't mysteriously locked in room together or forced alone at a gathering."

She smiled slyly. "Yeah, but Temari told Ino and my mom about me kissing you on the cheek. I got drilled when I got home before we met up later that night."

Neji raised an eyebrow. "I take it Temari left out how you did the exact same to Lee not three seconds prior?" It hadn't been all that uncommon for Tenten to give an occasional kiss on the cheek to him or Lee when they were younger. Usually done as thanks or simply because the mood struck her, even though he admitted, there was something that was simply different about that particular time.

"Of course she did." She continued to eat, mood and energy improving steadily. "I was actually really glad when I found you and Lee though." With all the festivities from the festival, on top of one of the village's ninja being made a jounin, it was a chaotic mess in the village. "I had a weird feeling the entire trip from Suna. Three days is long time to be traveling with a weird feeling you know?"

"You were worried about me? Didn't I tell you not to put so much trust into that fortune telling?"

She shook her head. "Worried more about myself, I knew you'd do fine on your test." The entire trip back though, she felt watched, and not a moment passed when she didn't feel it. The feeling persisted even in their own village, but it didn't bother her as much. "Someone was watching me, I could just feel it. It wasn't a threatening feeling at all just kind of out of place I guess. I was on edge the entire time, until we got to Konoha."

"Did anything turn up from that feeling?" He remembered that a bit. Tenten had been fidgety and a bit paranoid when she returned.

"Not really. You felt it too though didn't you?" She remembered hugging him and rambling about how proud of him she was, and very strangely he had held her a bit closer and shifted slightly. It was a rather protective gesture that hadn't gone entirely unnoticed. The feeling stopped almost immediately. "Actually it stopped when I hugged you."

"No, I'm afraid I don't." He had been more than a bit tired when Tenten had found him; frazzled from the jounin exam. "All I honestly remember was you hugging me, and then you made me take you to that stupid restaurant that kills taste buds."

"Ah well, I remember it." Yes, she had destroyed his taste buds, and then... "Then I said I'd meet you later, and took care of something." Crying, complete break down, and full out confession to Lee about her feelings was what she had done. "But really, you were...protective of me, just for a few minutes. Then that feeling stopped, whatever it was." Later that night they had met up at their usual location and talked as usual, well past dawn. "Your uncle found us the next morning, still talking. He let the lecture slide that time. I remember your clan elders weren't too pleased though." She shifted slightly. His uncle didn't mind her, even had let her in the Hyuuga compound a few times, the elders though..."They really don't like me do they?"

"They don't like the idea of me spending so much time with you. They acted the same though when Hinata spent most of her time with her teammates." While that had lead to the three members of Hinata's team becoming partners in a way that had caused one of the elders a heart attack; such a thing wasn't a concern between him and Tenten. No matter what feelings they shared, the two would never become a bisexual threesome with Lee.

Tenten shrugged. "You'd think with the death glares they give me, they thought I was competition or something." She picked up her bowl of rice. It was insane, the number of glares she endured on the rare occasion she saw the elders of his clan. His uncle had never once glared at her, but those elders... "I think they'd put a hit out on me if they could."

"I doubt it. If they really wanted to get rid of you they'd strongly suggest you were the most capable of some bullshit mission, and have you killed in the line of duty."

"Hinata said they really do hate me. She said they were furious after the first chuunin exams...when they learned I helped you." Neji learning the skills of the head family, was a major deal. That had made them mad, knowing an outsider had a hand in a branch family member learning it, made them furious. "She said your uncle sheltered you from the worst of it, said he was more surprised...that just you and I got you so far."

Frowning, Neji laid down his chopsticks. "Of course the elders would be upset over that. What do they expect? They didn't want me to advance my skills and when they didn't have anyone who could challenge me or help me advance anyway, the natural solution was to seek assistance outside of the clan. There is only so far one can go on his own." He was surprised that his uncle helped him as well.

"Your uncle had me train with Hanabi you know. Your elders weren't too thrilled about that either." He watched her pick up her food with her chopsticks, and eye it somewhat curiously before continuing. "He said I was probably the most effective person in the entire village to train the kaiten with." She chuckled and finished her food. "He even thanked me when you became a jounin, for training with you all those years. If he could tell your clan elders to go to hell, he wouldn't have many flaws as a leader. I was kind of flattered when he asked me to train with Hanabi...kinda rare for me to be acknowledged as the best at anything, especially by the main clans." The clans tended to forget she too had a large, expansive family, just a very different one than the main clans. "Guess they forget my family used to be a pretty large clan at one time too. Not quite up to 'noble' standards but still..."

Neji was aware of Tenten's family history, one of the few outside of the remaining family that did know. They were a large family of nomadic weapon smiths that had developed the standardized weapons employed by all villages. The family split over dispute of which country to support after the formation of the Leaf. Part of the family remained with the ninja of the Stone village, another part remained with the Mist village, and her family had remained with the Leaf. She said most of her family was long gone. Most had married off into other families, their ties to their former large clan forgotten. Those who settled in the Stone village were all that remained, and probably didn't know anyone remained in the Leaf.

"I can't think of anyone else skilled enough to teach Hanabi outside the household. It is better to train outside the family to learn how non-Byakugan users fight against it. To be perfectly honest, your talents with weapons are really the only thing sufficient for such training. It would take at least five ninja otherwise to effectively pose enough threat to use the kaiten." Neji rolled his eyes, as a young man he had used it more often than he needed to. His combat skills had significantly improved, now there were only a few times he needed to use the ability. Tenten was one of the few that could force him to use it. "Don't listen to the elders. The world they live in is far from reality. Originally they tried to arrange a marriage between Sasuke and Hinata."

Tenten quirked a brow. "How...original of them." That was a pair that wouldn't have worked well. Sasuke didn't give a damn about enough people in the village, and certainly wouldn't have stood for the Hyuuga demanding he marry Hinata. Hinata was no better. Quiet and shy though she was, when she disagreed with something, she made it very clear that she would not tolerate it.

"They are persistent though. They tried to continue negotiations with Sasuke even when he was openly in a relationship with Naruto."

Tenten remembered the day Hinata very happily stated that she was free. When asked what she had meant, Tenten received a rather surprising answer. "I remember the day the elders openly declared Hinata unfit to lead the clan." Hanabi would lead the clan in the future. Hinata's defiance in her teenage years to the ideals of the clan had irritated the elders greatly. Her feelings for Naruto only annoyed them more. Then, of course, they found out about her current relationship with her former team. "They better take it easy with Hanabi...or their worst nightmare could come to pass." After Hanabi, the direct line of succession went to Neji.

Neji shook his head, "Hanabi will be a fine clan leader. She agrees with the ideals of the clan." She was a Hyuuga to the core. While not quite as zealous with her ideals, they were quite similar to those of the elders.

"She's young, people change." Tenten said setting her chopsticks down and leaning back. "She might not even want to be a leader. She certainly didn't seem thrilled with the idea when I trained with her." Neji was right though, nothing would happen with Hanabi. She was straight laced, she followed orders, she was agreeable, and for the most part her idea of rebellious was asking the question 'why?' occasionally.

"She won't change much, The elders won't allow it." After all, after Hanabi, he would be next in line; the elders would commit suicide before a member of the branch family became head of the clan. "Are you finished eating?" He gestured to the plate Tenten hadn't touched for the past several minutes.

She nodded. "One day, I'm going to have you really teach me how to cook better. I don't care how much burnt food we go through. I'll die before my mom cooks for me for the rest of my life."

"Your mother makes good meals." Gods knew that she cooked enough for him.

"I'd like to be self-sufficient at some point. Unfortunately, that means I'd have to learn how to cook." She smiled. "Mom won't teach me, she just keeps telling me to marry you and the problem will be solved."

Neji shook his head. "It's a wonder that I didn't figure out that she wanted us together earlier than I did."

"You were a clueless thirteen year old, but it's ok, I forgive you."

Neji muttered something under his breath while he carried the dishes to the kitchen to be washed.

Finally she asked the question she'd been meaning to. "Why does your clan care so much about who you marry? Hinata or Hanabi I understand...but...why you?"

"I'm too close to the main family. If Hanabi dies before leaving an heir, and if Hinata refuses to return if something would happen to Hanabi, I would be the next head."

"Self-preservation for them then? Makes sense...I guess." She really didn't like it though. She remembered when he was told about it at seventeen, he had been so annoyed about it that he took multiple A-ranked missions solo to take his frustrations out. Neji rarely got that annoyed, usually talking or meditating fixed everything.

"I have no plans on having a child at all though, whether I am married and remain a branch member, or become the head." Even if he did become the head, he would not have enough power to change the elders. _And I'd rather damn my own soul to hell before I allow my flesh and blood to be marked with the curse seal._

Tenten watched Neji's eyes narrow slightly. "I know, it's a shame though. I think you'd be a great father. You're certainly protective enough to have that aspect covered."

"Being protective is the reason I'm not doing it."

Tenten smiled. "I know." That would really piss the elders off, and she had to give him credit for his defiance. "As long as it doesn't get you killed...do what you have to."

"Sakura has already agreed to give 'evidence' that I am sterile and simply unable to produce children." He had all his bases covered. There were even multiple jutsu to prevent conception, easily detected of course, by a skilled ninja. Few women would be unable to detect it. They weren't going to be having him marrying a top class kunoichi though.

Tenten stared at the ceiling. "You've been planning that for a long time I guess." It was sad, no matter how she looked at it.

"A while." Neji admitted, drying the dishes he had finished washing. "Are you ready for bed?" Tenten sounded exhausted. It must have taken more out of her than he thought just to talk and eat.

"I might just sit up a while." The storm was still quite active, but significantly less noisy. It was mostly lightning with light rumbles of thunder, rather than the standard crashes of thunder. It was somewhat relaxing. "Just don't let me do anything stupid, like use a jutsu for whatever reason. Gonna be a few days before I can use any."

"The storm should keep going for the rest of the week." It wouldn't be smart to go out again, who knew how long it would be before Taiki got tired of Nobaru and sent him out in the night.

"As long as it just rains like this it won't be too bad." She shifted on the couch so she could look over the back and out the windows. She had heard Taiki say that the storm season wasn't normal that year. Fortunate, she mused, that a mission their village had been preparing for, for at least a few years only now was being put into play. She wondered how much research about the storm seasons had been done to provide them adequate opportunity. `

"I'm wondering if it would be wise to risk going out again." In less than two weeks, he would become a lightning country jounin, and given access to files; hopefully even the ones they wanted to see. Unfortunately, it also meant he would be watched closer and have far less freedom.

"Well, after you're instated, they'll probably keep an eye on everything you do at work, but they'll probably watch us less at home. Karou hinted that they'd be letting up on us soon, probably after you were instated." By her observation, they were being watched less, slowly but surely their unwanted visitors appeared less frequently, and were even easier to detect than their older ones.

"Which means you'll have free range, but I'll be stifled." He didn't like the implications. He saw from the files that many of the village's jounin were used as lab rats, even if they knew nothing of the experiments. What would happen if they discovered his Hyuuga blood?

"I know what you're thinking. You're worried they'll find out. You already said they wouldn't be likely to trust you enough for use though." No one in their right mind would bring a newly instated ninja into top secret experimentation unless... "Unless they're using people without their knowledge."

"You've seen the files Tenten. The risky experiments, the ones that need watched, they've been keeping under observation of people with high clearance. Lower level things, testing, DNA samples for the lab, the subjects are random, and most likely unaware."

"Ugh...this village is a pain in the ass." She grumbled, resting her head against her arm, draped over the back of the couch. She was still watching the storm. "Your clan specifically wanted you to come and deal with this too, that's what Anko said. Bit risky don't you think? Sending exactly the Hyuuga this village wants right to them?" Her too, she noted, the information on her was short and to the point, not half as long as the pages on the Hyuuga family. However, just like Neji's sheet, her page was stamped across the bottom as a high priority target to acquire.

"They want me to shift the hatred I have towards the clan to this village. They hope that this mission will let me have my supposed revenge and be at peace." It had been Lightning Country after all, that had tried to kidnap Hinata as a small child. It was through their demands that his father had been killed and given to them, and most likely had been used in part of the experiments they were trying to stop now.

"...And if you died here, it'd be no loss," She said more to herself than to him. She recalled him recounting how the seal worked. The moment he died, it would vanish, sealing away the byakugan. "at least to the elders of your clan."

"All the more reason for me to be the one on this mission." Neji finished.

"If you could have any one thing in the world that you wanted," She finally glanced at him before looking back out the window. "what would it be?" It was a strange question, but she had asked him once when they were kids and he had brushed it off. He was in a strangely talkative mood, so she tried her luck again.

Neji pondered this a moment. He usually wasn't one for what if's, but decided to humor this one. "I wish I could go back to when we were still genin. I would like to talk to my former self." He would comfort his younger self slightly, explain things. He'd tell himself to not be so bitter, and to try to appreciate the people around him more.

That wasn't what she had been expecting. Tenten lifted her head. "You'd talk to your younger self?" She quirked a brow. Maybe he was getting sick again. Neji wasn't the type to answer a question like that.

"Yes. What would you do?"

"I don't know..." She lied, she knew what she would do, but even in her mind it was corny, and to top it all off, it would alter so much in life that she doubted the two of them would have ever met, much less been friends. "If I could have any one thing I wanted...I'd lose the things that mean the most to me. I don't know if I'd be strong enough to face that."

"Why? If it's the one thing you want, and you have complete power over this change, you can do things in a way that wouldn't disrupt the rest of your life."

"You wouldn't be who you are, as I know you, if I could remove that seal from your family entirely. We'd probably have never met, your family wouldn't be divided, we'd probably never be friends." It would change entirely who he was as a person, but it would eliminate the source of so much pain. "It'd spare you years of pain...but who would you be right now? I don't know if I could do it."

Neji's eyes widened slightly in surprise. "Why would you waste your wish on me?"

"I...I don't know." She answered returning her gaze to the windows. She didn't want to say it wouldn't be a waste to her. She didn't want to say too much. "You and Lee...kinda broke my rules about not caring too much for people." Him especially. He broke all the rules. "Lee's like the brother I never had..."

"And Gai's like the strange uncle no one talks about too loudly." Neji added, coming back into the living room. "What are you trying to say Tenten?"

"If I could change things for you...it wouldn't be a waste to me." Lee was indeed the brother she never had, and Neji... _I bet it sounds even cornier out loud than it does in my head..._he was someone she'd live for. _Yep, it would sound cornier out loud._

"You have other things you could wish for." Neji walked past the couch, to grab the scrolls with the files. "You shouldn't give up your happiness for mine."

"It's really not a sacrifice on my part you know. It's not like in the long list of things that I want, I'm going to be getting many, if any of them."

"You can have anything you work for, if you don't give up." Neji opened the scrolls and took out more files before taking a seat across from her. "Don't waste your happiness on other people."

Tenten rolled her eyes at the window. It wasn't a waste on the people that made you happy. _Clueless as ever... _"Says the guy who's given up..."

Neji sighed. "Do we need to have this argument again?" Why did she focus so much on things he had given up on? He had accepted it. It wasn't really giving up anyway when he wasn't striving for anything in the first place.

"No." She stared out the windows. Why was he so determined to convince her she could have the things she wanted? He didn't know half of what she wanted! "I've accepted my life as it is, just like you've accepted yours."

"You're selling yourself short." Neji was pouring through Haru's files again, trying to see if he could deduce who the sample of Konoha had come from.

"Meh, enlighten me then, what exactly do I have going for me that's so grand?" She had nothing that anyone else didn't have. Most people had more.

"You're strong, loyal, skilled, kind, and beautiful. I can't think of anyone who would think you a bad wife. I can think of more than a few who would have a relationship with you if given the chance." It was strange, picturing Tenten with some nameless man, dating, holding hands, and being intimate. It annoyed him, and the more he thought about it, the harder it was to read the words on the paper in front of him.

Tenten struggled to put two words together. He called her beautiful. _Again._ "A lot of girls in the village can say that." It was the best she could come up with. He called her... "...Like I said, I don't have much going for me that the others don't have." ...he called her beautiful.

"How many girls can be said to be truly kind or loyal?" True kindness and loyalty, the devotion that Tenten had for her loved ones, that was hard to find. "Besides, your personality is much better than most others."

She bit her lip. She'd concede, she had the least abrasive or strange personality. "I still don't really believe there are a good few people who would be interested in me." She mumbled. "Come on, be realistic, I'd have noticed...something."

"Tenten, you didn't notice all the boys who had crushes on you when you were younger. You're too modest, and it makes you unobservant in this case. You won't even admit that you're attractive, you always compare yourself to others."

"There were like two in our academy class. That's about it." He said it like there were more than just a few! That was just not possible, if she didn't notice, someone else would have. He had said it before though! He said that the boys had been more subtle with her. _He noticed..._ She squeezed her eyes shut and mentally shook herself. _One of the girls would have noticed..._

"There were more than two. There were several, all too afraid to speak to you." He had 'convinced' them that it would be better not to distract his teammate from their missions after all. "Or didn't you pay any attention to when you were partnered with others on missions?" While none of the rookie nine had any interests in Tenten, more than a handful of chuunin and jounin had expressed some interest in the weapons master. Some in particular, had brought out a distinctly more protective side of himself when he was a teenager.

"I paid plenty attention..." She argued finally looking up. "No one-I can't remember a single person who..." She couldn't remember anyone who even remotely appeared interested. "I mean, a few were really nice to me, but I wouldn't call that being interested."

"Think of people who were being really nice to you, maybe offered to take you out and go for some 'private sparring?' " Neji knew Tenten hadn't noticed men's reactions to her. She didn't see the way males older than her by only a year or two would look at her, but to not even pick up on that?

"Ok, I got that offer once or twice..." She admitted, but it sounded different when Neji emphasized it in a certain way. "and there was one or two that didn't stop staring at me, but let's face it I didn't put two and two together there. I'm used to people staring at Sakura, Ino, or Hinata...not me." She had been told once or twice she had an exotic look to her, but a summer tan did that, according to her mother, and those who had told her weren't from Fire Country. "Wait...how the hell did you notice all of this?"

"I keep an eye out for my teammates." Neji said, half truthfully. He did watch out for her and Lee still; but he never tried to protect Lee from Sakura. Now, he distinctly recalled the time Tenten felt watched, and remembered narrowing his eyes slightly at the boy watching her when she arrived in Konoha.

Tenten's mind raced. All the times Neji had been somewhat protective, or answered before she could, or talked them out of various situations... "You were protecting me from all of it?" He had said that he and Lee had kept most that would have made advances away. Still, mentally it all seemed like jealous behavior, but she dismissed the thought immediately. Neji didn't get jealous.

"Yes. Both Lee and I were not going to let just anyone have their way with you." He said quietly, his eyes lifted to gaze over her shoulder when thunder shook the house lightly. There was no wind, just a steady downpour, complete with a light show and sound effects.

"Have their way with me? Oh come on! Neji seriously, no one was that interested." She countered, almost concerned that he had proof that someone was that interested. "I mean, we were kids."

"What makes you think that Lee and I have stopped?"

"You haven't stopped protecting me? Who would I need protected from?" Dealing with Lee and Neji would have to be frustrating, surely anyone who had interest would have given up.

"You haven't needed protecting in a long time." Neji admitted. "However, that does not mean we've stopped looking out for you. We know you can hold your own."

"Why though? It all seems like..." It sounded so jealous in nature. Lee didn't have a reason to be jealous though, and Neji just didn't get jealous. Right? "It just sounds...jealous."

"Are you suggesting that Lee is jealous?"

"No, I'm suggesting that you being protective, sounds jealous in nature. Like you're worried ab-oh never mind. It's just so silly. You're really not the jealous type anyway."

"Jealous? No, I'm not." Jealous? He had never really thought about it. He always saw his actions to be that of a concerned friend and teammate. It couldn't have been jealousy keeping boys away from Tenten for all those years, could it?

"Then why not just let them try and fail?" Tenten shrugged. He just wasn't the jealous type, but she couldn't shake it. "You know they would have failed." Unless perhaps, he was worried that they wouldn't fail?

"There hasn't been a real reason to lately. You're making too much out of this Tenten. Lee and I have simply kept those we didn't think were good enough away from you." It was out of concern, he told himself. He tried to get back to his reading. _Concern, not jealousy._

"I wasn't aware it mattered all that much to you if someone was good enough for me or not." Neji sounded flustered at that point. His answers were still steady but more hastily spoken, and Neji just didn't get flustered over things like that. "You could have just let them try, they would have failed. I was already interested in someone when I was younger."

"Oh? Who was that?" He had jumped on the subject change a little too quickly, eager to avoid being called jealous, and eager to avoid her making him question his motives for protecting her.

"Doesn't matter. Wait...wait...why do you want to know?" She caught his jump on the subject change, because if she wasn't careful he'd have her dodging questions rapidly. It was something she was not good at, and never was fond of.

"Just curiosity." Neji laid Haru's file on the table, distractedly. If he could find something to question, something that stood out, he could stop this infernal conversation.

"Just some guy I knew from missions." It was a bad attempt to dodge the question. She tried very hard to keep her focus on the storm outside, but glanced over at the files. "On the fourth page, there's a notation about an abandoned lab that some samples were acquired from, probably one of Orochimaru's old labs. I was reading through a few pages under the blankets when Nobaru and Taiki were here."

"I've seen a few reports from Orochimaru's experiments. He had samples from just about every ninja in Konoha at the time. If they managed to find one of his labs, there's no telling how much Konoha DNA they have."

"Were you paying attention to Anko at all on the way here? All the research is based on old abandoned research Orochimaru was doing, of course they found one of his labs." Tenten sighed. He had been paying attention to Anko, maybe he was just distracted.

Neji sighed and shook his head lightly. There was so much information in his head that he was forgetting facts. He denied that it had any to do with being caught up in his thoughts, he would not admit he was still questioning why he had been so protective of her.

"There's no exact location mentioned but, it seems like it's been sealed off, so I doubt we'd get anything useful out of it." Tenten sighed with relief. Her mind was wandering too much to stay too focused. She was wondering who Neji had noticed, that she had not, she was wondering why he was so protective, she was just wondering too much, and she shook her head lightly in frustration. "We could always look over that stuff tomorrow."

"Sounds good to me." He closed the files, sealing them back in the scroll. They were both exhausted and preoccupied, not much would get done with their combined thoughts so scattered.

"I am still really grateful, that you and Lee spared me from all the potential romantic failures." She smiled slightly and rested her head back on her arm. "You probably spared them disappointment more than anything though." The room lit up briefly from a flash of lightning.

"Spared you from some headaches as well. Some of them were genuinely idiotic." Neji stood. "Do you need help to the bedroom?"

"I'm going to stay out here a bit longer." Tenten answered. "You can go to bed if you want. I kind of like watching the storm."

"If you say so. Wake me if you need anything." Neji went into the bedroom, leaving Tenten to her thoughts. He was almost relieved to be alone with his own thoughts for a while. He took note of the sound of the rain when he sat down on the bed and stared out the window of the bedroom. Why was it that for the first time since he began looking out for her, he was questioning why he did it? _Concern_, he told himself, _not jealousy. Concern._

Tenten sighed a few minutes after Neji left. She blew out the small candle on the table, and turned off the remaining lights. _Company wouldn't have been so bad._ She thought, shifting to sit by the window with a blanket. It would be a long night to be alone with one's thoughts, but she smiled and leaned her head against the cool window. He called her beautiful.

* * *

AN: Well! Happy Valentine's Day! Another happy birthday to my boyfriend, and well...Ok that took me forever. Docpreview hates me! Froze up about ten times so if some of my corrections didn't save I truly apologize! I think this is a new record for a long chapter, so hopefully you didn't get too bored reading it! Thanks all of you for being so patient while I took the month to get back on my feet. I recently quit my job for medical reasons, so it's been rough getting by. Your support on this story has been a real boost to my spirits!


	20. Chapter 20

Disillusioned

By: Faraway Dawn & Kigen

Disclaimer: I'ma stop writing these next chapter. If anyone actually thought I owned anything at this point, I'd have to demand they find this vast wealth I should have because of it. I could use it!!!!

Chapter 20

A week later, Tenten sat on the couch smirking uncontrollably. Neji was pacing around the living room and it greatly amused her. Neji didn't pace. "You know if you keep that up, you're going to make a rut in the floor eventually." She teased, he had been tested the previous day for the rank of jounin and his test was split into two parts. Neji had finished the first part of his tests, he recounted the whole thing in vivid detail and it sounded rather pleasant compared to what they endured in Konoha. "The test couldn't have been any worse than back home. You just had a verbal test. You didn't even have to fight anyone."

"Nobaru gets to give the second part of the tests." Neji muttered, gritting his teeth as he paced. Just how much of the village did Nobaru have control over? "There's going to be standard questions about combat, loyalty, and my history. It'll probably be more like an interrogation than a test. If I answer a question incorrectly, it could blow our cover." _Or worse_, Neji shuddered slightly, _Nobaru might feel me up. _

"Yeah, but you don't take that part till tomorrow." Tenten shrugged. "Relax and stop pacing for crying out loud." He needed to calm down and stop worrying. Things were going just fine. "We already went over everything about fifty times. Just stay as calm as you do with me, and you'll be fine. Heck, pretend I'm interrogating you. You'll clear it perfectly."

Neji paused a moment, the mental image of Nobaru molesting him while demanding answers in an interrogation room was replaced with Tenten in the same position. Grumbling to himself and willing down his blush, he started pacing again. This time he looped into the kitchen and through the dining room rather than allowing himself to be confined to the living room.

"Jeeze, you're really worried about this huh?" Tenten muttered leaning forward to glance into the dining room. "Neji come on, sit down and relax. Why are you so worked up?" Normally he would just meditate frustration away, but she chuckled to herself. The pacing was kind of cute...

"I'm no more worked up than I usually am. I simply have no outlet for my frustrations." He did sit though, he sighed deeply and resisted the urge to run a hand over his face. Meditation was fine and dandy for this, but nothing could work off stress like a good hard workout that left him sweating and depleted most of his chakra.

"I'd say we could hit that training area but..." She jerked her head over her shoulder to the window. The storms were persistent even on a 'nice' day, which in Lightning Country generally meant frequent showers, small breaks of sun, and more showers.

"I'm tempted to use the basement, though I don't believe that it would be able to stand up against a real spar."

Tenten blinked. Use the basement? "We have a basement?" She stared at him in disbelief. "You mean..." She pointed to a small doorway, that she assumed was just a small closet. "It leads to a freaking basement and you never told me?"

"I told you about the basement. I told you about it when we first moved in." He smiled, thoroughly amused. "Though, you were half asleep when I mentioned it to you."

"And you never thought to remind me? Ugh. Get up." She grumbled as she grabbed his hand and all but dragged him to the doorway. He wanted sparring? Sure, they could spar. It'd have to be light sparring she imagined, but light sparring could go on for hours.

"And what do you plan on doing down there?" He was thinking serious sparring, the things he had done in the past when frustrated. Tearing most of the area up was part of the process and there was no way that could be done in their basement.

"You and I can spar lightly for hours on end, one way or another, you'll get worn out eventually." Tenten's eyes lit up when she saw the space. There were a few support beams and the main support for the house, but other than that it was entirely open. Hell it was even finished! "Carpet! This is perfect. It's as big as the entire house, all open...plenty of space." The lack of windows made it perfect. "I could get some wards put up to trap all sound made here to this room."

Neji allowed himself a roll of the eyes. Of course, the first thing Tenten did, was figure out a way to turn it into a fortress. Though, admittedly sound wards wouldn't be a bad idea. They would finally have a space in the house to be free to speak, look over their pilfered information, and even to train.

"I saw that." Tenten muttered a second before she swept his legs out from under him. She chuckled when he fell to the floor. "You look good down there you know." Catching Neji off guard was such a rare feat, one simply had to take advantage when they could.

"Cheap shot." Neji retorted as he rose and straightened his shirt. "So, I take this to mean that you plan on wearing me out?" He asked, shifting his weight to one foot, a challenge in his eyes.

Tenten smirked, mirroring Neji's stance. "It's always an option, as long as you can resist the urge to turn this into a lesson."

"Then you want me to come at you with no mercy? You want me to fight you until you are forced to submit to me?" He asked, raising his hand to guard his body.

"I've never once submitted to you." She stepped slowly to her right, watching his every motion with caution. If Neji went all out, it would be a game of avoidance on her part. She repressed a shiver when she thought of his words though. "I've certainly never once admitted defeat to you, Neji."

"You've never said 'no' to me either." He mimicked her movements and followed each step carefully. "If you've never been defeated by me, why haven't you ever argued when I told you that I've won?"

Tenten struck first, she had a slight speed advantage, being smaller and lighter than Neji. She would use it to her advantage. _I'm gonna need to abuse it_. She thought as she struck at his dominant arm, knowing it was wisest to disable him if she could. "I stop arguing, because it's pointless to argue with a wall. When you think you're right, there's no convincing you otherwise."

"If you're right, and I've never defeated you, then why haven't you forced me to the ground? If you've never lost, why haven't you forced me to submit to you?" His hand redirected her strike so that it gently ghosted over his arm, rather than striking and numbing it. His eyes focused on the speed of her counter and he found enough of an opening to strike. Tenten however, was just as quick as he expected her to be. She shifted her weight back and left him with more than a hand's length between his own hand and her shoulder.

"I did," Tenten smirked darkly, "on the couch."

They traded well timed blows while he thought of what to say. She shifted or blocked with ease, and he increased his pace to match her. He recalled now, that light sparring with Tenten, was a far cry from an easy workout. "You caught me in a moment of weakness. I would hardly call that submitting."

"Weakness? You almost called me by name instead of my code-name. Must have been a seriously weak moment." Tenten chuckled. "Must be pretty distracting because you've just barely managed to hit me."

"I was trying not to bite your breasts while speaking." He watched her feet closely as he spoke. Each step they took was strategic. One misstep would allow one of them to gain the upper hand and he would have to make sure it was him.

Tenten felt her cheeks burn. "Wha-"

There it was, her footwork was slower, she moved the wrong way, and now control was his. "Your chest was pressed against my face. I was making an effort to not accidentally mouth them while arguing with you."

"I wasn't that close to you." It was a good attempt at distraction, she had to admit. It was brilliant actually, because it did throw her off pace, and he managed to make a rapid recovery. He was closing the gap she managed to keep between them faster, his strikes were much closer to actually hitting before she blocked or moved away, and he had that damned confident smirk on his face again.

"I know, it was a cheap shot." He said quietly, his smirk was as much in his eyes as it was on his lips. He spun quickly to avoid her kick and returned one hard.

"So much for serious sparring then huh?" She slid back from the force of his kick and wiped a bit of sweat from her bangs. She had just barely managed to block it. "Ok then, if all's fair..." She turned around, untied her hair and shook it loose. It was an impractical way to spar, but when they teased each other, sparring was rarely practical. "...then you won't mind if I get more comfortable." She slipped her shirt from her shoulders and tossed it across the room and smirked confidently at the wall. From behind, her hair covered the thin tank top she wore over her bindings, even the straps. "I know you want to break a sweat but I have no desire to smell like Gai and Lee at the end of this."

"Why are you untying your hair then? You'll just sweat more and smell worse." If she thought he was that easy to seduce, she had another thing coming. He had seen her do far more in far less clothing, and he didn't find the loose hair any more attractive than her buns. Though he did admit, she looked more her age with her hair down.

"It's more comfortable to land on the ground when you get rough without my hair tied up. You land on a bun once or twice and tell me how it feels." It made her feel more like a girl, having her hair down. She was more aware of how it fell across her shoulders and framed her face, and her mother always scolded her for not wearing it down more often. "I figured if I took off a few layers you wouldn't mind. I mean you've seen me in wet undergarments. It's not like you'd be distracted." She turned to face him and resumed her defensive stance. "Come on now, you've been taking it easy. Haven't pinned me yet, usually you do that within the first ten minutes when I'm not at the top of my game."

"I thought we were sparing lightly?" He didn't want to admit it, but it took quite a bit to wrestle Tenten to the ground. It involved precise timing, effort, and control. Those were things that Tenten was an expert of manipulating in combat.

"Worried you can't handle me?" She taunted, waving him on to strike. "It's been a good few months." She said softly, almost teasing him for his hesitance, with the awareness that Neji would not turn down a challenge. Especially if she was the one challenging him.

"Worried it will cause property damage." He answered, striking in rapid succession. A series of kicks threw her footwork off and his strikes kept her eyes and arms occupied with blocking and dodging. If she couldn't keep focused on her surroundings, he could take total control of the fight.

"In such a big open space? Come on seriously..." Her eyes quickly scanned the room while she tried desperately to keep an eye on his attacks. He'd have her cornered soon if she didn't watch her step.

"There are pillars, Tenten." Neji said quietly, pinning her roughly to one. "If we took these out, it would be quite a mess."

"Careless." She smirked forcing herself a bit lower to kick his legs out from under him.

Neji flipped backward, turned, twisted on his hands, and tugged her legs out from under her with his own. His lips curved into a superior smile when she roughly hit the ground next to him. "You were saying?"

Tenten coughed slightly from the force of the landing before she tried to regain her breath. "I stand by my initial statement." She pointed to him with a grin. "You look good on the ground." He did however, look better when one coupled it with him being sweaty, breathing a bit more harshly, and still flaunting that arrogant smirk.

"Pity you don't see me down here often then." He sat up slowly to catch his breath.

"Oh yeah, a major pity." Tenten answered before reaching over to grab his arms. She twisted both behind his back and pinned him chest first to the floor before pressing the weight of her body against his back. "Good thing I plan ahead when I fight you, huh?" She muttered in his ear. Victory was always sweet, even when it was short lived.

"Mm." Neji answered as he remained as still as possible. "I'm not beaten yet."

"Neither am I, at least you're getting your workout hm?"

"Indeed." He couldn't use as much force as he would have liked, and he would have to be careful not to hurt her, but she should have paid more attention to his hands. He knocked her back from him with his chakra and quickly got to his feet to resume his defensive stance.

Tenten grumbled as she rose to her feet. "Well played, I should have kept your hands further apart."

"You should have kept yourself better guarded as well." Neji muttered in her ear before twisting her arm behind her back. He forced her first to her knees, then to her stomach on the floor. Neji was careful only to apply the necessary pressure of his body to keep her from moving too much.

She immediately struggled against him and grumbled in annoyance. The weight of his body ensured that she would not be moving much. "Cheater." She wiggled as much as she could beneath him. He was wise enough to not repeat her small error. Her hands were far enough apart that she could not form any seals, and she sure as hell could not reach the single scroll she had on her.

"All's far in love, war, and our way of life." Neji responded. "Give up?" He asked, watching her squirm under him.

She wiggled more, hoping his weight on her would ease up just enough to break free, but to no avail. Neji just wasn't careless enough for that. "No. I don't." Her fingers twitched slightly as she reached as carefully as she could for her scroll.

Neji saw the subtle motion of the arm that was pinned under her, his hand wiggled its way between her body and the floor and slipped just inside the waist of her pants to remove the scroll. "Nice try."

Her face burned against the floor. That was one of those rare, bold moves, that Neji would never have pulled back home. She wiggled more in frustration, admitting defeat to him was not an option. "I have several weapons on me still." Though she knew she would need some slack from Neji to reach any of them with ease.

"None that you can get to in this position. Not unless you have some new hiding places you haven't told me about." Neji smirked. Tenten was trying to force him to give her an inch, that would be all it would take for her to gain the upper hand.

"I might." She shifted again under him. Might as well get comfortable, she mused. They were going to be there for a long time it seemed. "I can stay here like this for a good while though. It's not like it's not enjoyable in some manner." She decided to play a more feminine route. Ino would have called it playing fairly. Tenten called it playing dirty. "I mean, sure it's a bit hard to breathe with you on me like that, but I can feel every single move you make."

"Nice try, Tenten. I know you're breathing just fine. You'll need to try harder than that if you plan on leaving this room the victor." Who did Tenten think Ino tried to practice on in the past?

"Your heart is beating a bit fast, I know, we've been sparring, but your left hand is shaking slightly. That Neji, is somewhat new. I've never felt you tremble before." She continued calmly.

"My hand's not shaking at all."

"Oh yeah it is." The arm that was bent between her back and his body moved only slightly to allow her fingers to brush across his hand. "Why though?" She shifted her body to try to force him off her. She managed to slide the hand under her body free when she pushed her body up from the floor.

"You said this was light sparing." He redoubled his efforts to keep her pinned to the floor. A knee landed on the floor between her own for his stability as he reversed the hold. He locked Tenten's arms around his body and pulled her back flush against his chest.

"Doesn't explain why you're trembling." She continued to struggle against him. "You're not going to get me to admit defeat and you won't be able to hold me forever."

"I'm not trembling." He rolled his eyes as he drew Tenten closer to him. Making a face, he blew away the loose hair that tickled his nose. "I can hold you as long as I need to…until you eventually submit."

She clenched her teeth and let her breath out in an annoyed hiss. The tighter he held her, the more painful struggling would become, but she refused to submit. She had spent years telling him she was just as good, just as skilled, as any man. He was the only one she had not truly beaten, and she could not allow him to defeat her. She twisted her wrist painfully and forced a hard strike into his back, enough to loosen his grip only slightly, just enough for her to break one arm free. She forced herself up onto her knees, drew a kunai rapidly, hooked her arm over his shoulder, and allowed the weapon to rest against the back of his neck. "How about calling it a draw?" She asked with a smirk when he regained his hold on her, the cool steel resting exactly over his one and only blind spot.

Neji quirked a brow. "A draw." He conceded, not stupid enough to argue with a blade at his neck. He made no move to release Tenten though.

Tenten however, began to laugh. It had been a long time since anything like that happened. "Oh...that was fun." She said turning her head to glance at him over her shoulder. "Hasn't come to this in years." At least, by her count, since they were at least sixteen.

"No it hasn't." Neji agreed, letting out a quiet chuckle. He released Tenten's arms once the blade was lowered. "It has been a long time since we fought like that." He watched her sit up and stretch.

"Too long." She said, turning as she moved to fall onto her back. The kunai she had drawn against him, she promptly threw while falling backward. It flew right over his shoulder and into one of the support beams. She stretched out on the floor and smirked up at the ceiling. "I wasn't entirely sure I'd be able to get free this time. You're a lot stronger than you used to be."

"And you're a lot more flexible." He noted, lying on the ground next to her. "Though I must ask, why did you try mind games half way through?" It wasn't her style. Tenten was usually far more blunt with her attacks.

"Because you really were trembling a bit. It used to work...I mean it did when we were teenagers. Last time I did that, you turned the same shade as Sakura's clothes and promptly released me to argue that I was delusional. It was worth a try." She laughed. "Time changes people though. You're not exactly a teenager anymore."

"Nor are you." Was he trembling? It had to be nerves.

She nudged him lightly with her elbow and feigned an annoyed glare. "That really hurt too." She waved her hand around, the one she had to twist to strike him. The pain it caused was similar to a twisted ankle, it was nothing that could not be endured, and it would fade within minutes. It was hard to maintain the fake expression though, and she tried very hard not to smile or laugh.

"You should have given up," Neji said, turning his head. "and you suck at pouting."

"Yeah, mom never taught me properly." She said, finally smiling. "You knew I wouldn't give up though, not to you."

"Not after your initial refusal." He agreed, but he enjoyed that she had not given up so easily. "I thought we might spend the next few hours, pressed against each other, struggling for the upper hand." He breathed deeply and exhaled slowly. The large basement would probably be put to frequent use.

Tenten returned her gaze to the ceiling. It wasn't an unpleasant thought, so close to him and unable to break free for hours. "That...would have been interesting."

"Until one of us had to use the bathroom." He remember similar incidents with Lee from his childhood, though that was less pinning and more trying to beat the crap out of each other for hours on end. At least, until Lee would jump around and excuse himself promptly.

"Why didn't we get more sparring like that in anyway?" Missions, she knew had kept them busy all the time, then they started taking more solo missions, then eventually their former team was finally split up. "It was always weirdly relaxing." Sakura liked to walk around at night to relax, Ino liked to go out and party, Hinata enjoyed dinner and conversation, but she had always preferred sparring.

"I suppose it's because when we sparred, it was purely for training. We haven't done it for the sake of doing it, for a while." Neji mused. They had been so busy with their missions and lives, they didn't have the chance just spar for old times sake.

"We should do it more often." She said as she tossed another kunai into the air and caught it carefully. "I don't think we tried to take each other down as much when we were teenagers either. It would have been good practice."

Neji nodded. "It would've been great practice." He agreed, thinking back to his teens. "Though we didn't even start simple sparring without a reason, until we were both chuunin." He noted. When they were genin they were focused on getting stronger than everyone else.

"Ah, to be fifteen again. It was a good year." Tenten smiled, she could get used to the basement. It was nice to be able to talk without having to run a steaming hot shower. "You know, one night, we should just sleep down here. Like when we had to camp out." She sat up on her elbows and laughed. "We'll drag the pillows and blanket down here. Then, we'll just talk about stupid things, like we used to when Gai-sensei started snoring and kept us up all night."

Neji smiled at the image. It seemed like something children would do rather than grown adults. "Life was simpler then." He agreed, laying back down. His hand landed next to hers, not quite touching, but close enough that she could feel the warmth of his fingers.

When she did feel the warmth from his hands, Tenten glanced at her own before returning her gaze to the ceiling. "Yeah, it's strange when you think of it. Life was so dangerous then. We barely gave it a second thought though." They had so many amusing memories, fun memories, and even utterly ridiculous memories. "So, are we going to sleep down here sometime?" She grinned cheerfully.

"I don't see why not. It's a bit strange though," He teased. "a full grown woman wanting to camp out in the basement of her house."

She shrugged. "The windowless basement, with a very soft carpet." Tenten flopped back onto the floor lazily. "I can rough it on the floor if it means some privacy for a night."

"They haven't spied on us in quite a while." Not close enough to watch them anyways. The guard had been lessened since the storms started. Now they only had the occasional 'visitor' to make sure they were in the house and that their chakra was normal.

"Ok, ok, fine! For old times sake." Tenten smiled. "Besides seriously, the floor really isn't all that bad down here. Being pinned to it wasn't too ba-er uh, never mind."

"You liked being pinned down?" Neji asked, eyebrow raised. She enjoyed the carpet that much? It was soft admittedly, but to be that comfortable? So comfortable in fact, that she wanted to be pressed hard against it? Neji would never have taken Tenten to be a carpet lover.

"Eh..." Tenten fidgeted. "For the challenge?" She offered trying to work her way out of the hole she felt herself dug into.

"Sure..." Neji gave her a dubious look. It was strange, but there were stranger things than enjoying the feel of a soft carpet. His mind however, caught on a few moments after, and argued that it wasn't the carpet she enjoyed while pinned. He cleared his head when he stood, stretched, and groaned softly as his joints cracked and muscles stretched. He felt better, even if it had been short and simple.

"Feel better?" She asked grinning. She hadn't heard him make a sound quite like that in a very long time.

"I do. Thank you." He said sparing her a smile, it had been too long since he'd been able to relax like that.

"Hey, anytime." She stretched and blinked when her own joints cracked. "Seriously, anytime, we're out of practice."

"We haven't had as much time as I would have liked to practice." He hadn't counted on the rainy season to be as wet as it was. Even in Konoha, they had the occasional days of sun when it stormed. The weather had been a total throwback to his plans to keep them both in peak condition.

Tenten gestured around her. "We do now."

"Yes, we do." He agreed as he headed for the stairs.

"Hey Neji?" She tossed a few kunai at him, for good measure. He ducked the first three and grabbed the last two reflexively, not even suffering a light cut.

"Yes Tenten?"

"Showoff." She muttered crossing her arms. "You better make one hell of a meal. Round two starts after dinner."

"I'll make sure you'll have had more than your fill of me when the night is through." He said as he walked slowly up the stairs. He ignored the kitten as it ran down past him. "Watch for the hell spawn." He warned.

Tenten smiled at the kitten that was trying to play with her scroll while she looked around the basement. There was space for her to set up some targets and there was plenty of room to spar. She looked down at the kitten that purred and continued to bat her scroll around. "You need a name." She told it. "Hell spawn and demon spawn don't really suit you." She tossed a few of her weapons at the same support beam in a perfect row.

"Yes they do!" Neji's voice drifted from upstairs, accompanied by the sound of a knife chopping vegetables.

"Hey, I can call you that if you keep calling him those things!" Tenten called up the stairs before she looked the kitten over. "You're too cute for names like that huh?" She smiled and scratched the kitten's head lightly.

"Go ahead." Neji didn't care one bit what Tenten called him, or the kitten for that matter. No matter what Tenten named the thing anyway, he would still consider it evil spawned in animal form.

"Maybe I'll call you...Neji." She smirked, throwing a glance up the stairs.

The chopping stopped a moment, before the basement door slid open. "You are not naming that thing after me!"

"Why not? You're so much alike." She watched the kitten hiss before she chuckled.

"That thing and I are nothing alike." He glared at the fuzz ball, which ignored him and laid down to clean its paws.

"I see a lot of similarities. Unless you have a better idea, that isn't hell spawn or demon spawn." She smirked when the kitten swatted its light gray paws at her bangs.

"Why does it need a name? Why can't it just be called cat or kitten?"

She crossed her arms in response and gave Neji an annoyed look. _Because I said so_, she said with her eyes, _end of discussion._

Neji sighed and closed his eyes, "You know I'm horrible at naming things." Tenten usually teased him about being either too blunt or too simple anytime he had to give a title to anything.

"Hey, you don't have to name him." Tenten smirked. "You just have to stop calling him demon or hell spawn."

"If you can come up with a proper name, I will consider it."

Tenten looked from Neji, to the kitten, and then back at Neji. "I'm still tempted to call him Neji." She smirked before another name came to her mind.

"If you call that creature by my name, you're sleeping on the couch."

"I slept on the couch most of last week." She smiled and picked up the kitten. She looked him over once and touched the kitten's nose to her own. "I'm calling him Ryuu."

"How is that thing even close to being a dragon?"

"I'm not going to let you call him a demon, and dragons are a sign of good fortune." She smiled when the kitten attempted to lick her. "Dragon was the closest I was going to let you get to calling him a demon."

"It isn't a dragon." He leaned down, looking at the fuzz ball. "Maybe a lizard, but not a dragon."

Tenten smirked when the kitten hissed and swatted a paw at Neji. "I don't think he agrees."

Neji pulled his hand away, and poked the kitten on the head. "Call it whatever you like." He sighed.

"Ryuu it is then." She smiled and leaned back slightly. "You didn't really think I'd call him your name, did you?"

"If you were feeling malicious enough." He confirmed before heading back to the kitchen to finish their meal.

"Nah." Tenten muttered before letting the kitten in on a little secret, she whispered it directly to the kitten and glanced up at the stairs to make sure Neji was out of sight. "It'd just be way too weird if you had the same name, I mean weird for me you know?" She asked him. It would be very strange to be having certain dreams, calling out a particular name in those dreams, and then have a kitten hop up on the bed in the middle of the dream. "Total mood killer, you know?" She whispered to the little creature that stared at her with big blue eyes.

The kitten mewed, as though it understood. It licked the tip of her nose and jumped on the floor, returning to the tongue bath it had been in the middle of before Neji had interrupted him. "You stay down here and play, I'll be back down in a bit." Tenten smiled before running up the stairs. She had things to move to the basement. The first thing she did, while Neji cooked, was gather up all her scrolls, some targets, and of course, their pillows and blanket.

The kitten ignored Tenten's words, bounding up the stairs when it realized it would be left alone. Not seeing his owner anywhere nearby, he crept to the kitchen, where he smelled meat. Neji looked down with distaste. "No moocher. You have food in your bowl. This is people food."

Tenten dragged everything downstairs and hurried back up when she heard Neji's comment. "Hm, something smells good." She stood on her toes and looked over Neji's shoulder before looking down at the kitten. "Someone knows good cooking when he smells it."

Neji turned his head to look at her, his cheek brushed against her nose before he moved. "It'll be done in a few minutes Amaya. Can you set the table?"

"Uh..." Tenten's mind blanked for a few moments just from the lightest trace of contact. "Oh, set the table? Yeah, no problem." She hurried over to the cupboard and grabbed everything they'd need. "Should I make some tea?"

"If you could." Neji began to dish the food onto their plates and only briefly turned his attention to Tenten. She must have been really focused on the basement and the damned cat to blank out at her code name.

He watched her rub her head lightly while making the tea.

Spacing out, was not a good thing, especially when it only happened because of close proximity to Neji. Spacing out so much, that she didn't react to her code name, would have been very bad in public. She sighed and poured each of them tea, almost not noticing that she had almost filled her cup to the point of overflowing.

"Careful." Neji grabbed the teapot, stopping it before it spilled and scalded her. "What's wrong Amaya? You're all over the place right now." Was she starting to get nervous about his test now?

"I am?" She blinked and stared at him. Was she? "Oh, ha-ha, just a bit distracted. I just have all these crazy uh...ideas in my head. Art stuff and so on, you know?" She tried to smile. _Now is NOT the time to be thinking about being pinned to that floor under him again girl! Get your head out of the clouds pronto! _Tenten waved a hand dismissively while she berated herself mentally. "I'm fine."

"Are you worried about my test as well?"

"Of course not, you're going to do just fine." She said confidently.

"Then why are you distracted? You're not acting like yourself."

"I must be hungry?" She offered.

Neji gave her a look, but didn't prod any further. "Go sit at the table then. I'll be there in a moment." He took the tea from her. He didn't trust her to carry it without spilling it at the moment.

Tenten did as he said, without arguing. She sat and glanced down at the kitten that sat at her feet. "Ever get the feeling he can read minds?" She whispered to the kitten. The cat however, jumped onto her lap and onto the table. He sat patiently, waiting for his share of the meal.

"Off cat." Neji nudged the animal off the table as he set the plates out. "You don't get human food." He reminded the creature. He heard Tenten chuckle.

"Yeah, he's like you in cat form." She nodded to the kitten's annoyed expression.

"Just because we are both annoyed by the smaller injustices of life, does not mean we are the same."

Tenten only smirked at Neji when the kitten hissed in response.

"You're teaching it strange things." Neji accused as he sat and began his meal.

"He's just mimicking you." She laughed while she ate.

Neji paused, chopstick half way to his mouth. "The cat is not capable of mimicking what I do."

"Sure he's not..." Tenten muttered. She looked down at the kitten who held his paw in mid air.

"It proves nothing. He's just watching us." Neji grit his teeth, mildly annoyed with the insinuation that he had anything in common with a cat.

"And mimicking you." Tenten smirked while she finished eating. She cleared her plate long before Neji and they made minimal small talk over their meal. "Aw that was good." She stretched in her seat and smiled. "I really needed that."

"So are you ready for more then?" Neji asked, finishing his meal. "You did say I would need my strength."

"You know it's not a good idea, training right after eating." She pointed at him and nodded sagely. "Remember your teammate and sensei?"

"More than I would like to." Lee and Gai had once wolfed down a large meal, and resumed their training immediately. He and Tenten had the common sense to wait a short time before resuming their training. Lee and Gai were eventually curled up in balls on the forest floor, bawling like babies about stomach pains. He and Tenten had spared them at most, an annoyed glare and a roll of the eyes.

Tenten stood with a grin. "So we'll do the dishes and then we'll get back to work hm?" She picked up her plate and headed to the kitchen. He'd be lucky to not trip on all the things she dragged downstairs.

"If there's any space left done there after your redecorating." Neji carried his own dishes to the kitchen, pushing the cat out of his way with his foot. She washed their dishes while he dried them.

"I put everything in one corner for now." Tenten smiled innocently. She had put everything in a corner, except the pillows and blanket. Those had been left in a messy pile at the bottom of the stairs. Which Neji found promptly when they headed back down.

"Not a hazard for the blind at all." Neji smirked, picking up her things and depositing them in the corner.

"Course not, blind or not, you're still a ninja."

"Ninja or not, one would think you were trying to kill me." He turned and stretched as he waited.

She watched her partner in silence while he stretched. Why did he have to be capable of bending like that anyway? Tenten waved her mental fog away. It wasn't like he was doing it shirtless or anything. "Kill you? Nah. What good would that do me?"

"It would save you from imminent defeat." He said with a smirk as he turned back to face her.

"Yeah, yeah. Big talk, considering I didn't lose last time." Tenten mirrored Neji's stance and waited. This was more a Naruto and Sasuke thing, staring each other down like hawks. She had to admit though, there might have been something to it. It was amazing what you could tell from your opponent by watching them ever so closely.

"Neither did I." He watched her and his eyes narrowed slightly. Tenten was her usual self, but there was something in her eyes this time. She wouldn't be so easy to pin down.

"Worried about first strike, Neji?" She asked with a confident tone of voice. "Or are you worried I'm not going to play nice this time?"

"I know what you're going to do." He stepped forward carefully careful not to leave any openings.

Tenten shifted her weight to her back leg and smirked. He knew what she was going to do hm? "Really now? Well then make your move, I know the saying is 'ladies first' but I'm not exactly a lady."

"Are you insinuating that I am, Amaya?"

"Neji, we're in the basement, you can call me 'Tenten' you know?" She smirked. He was a far cry from a 'lady' in her mind. "I already told you, the hair does not fool me. I know how much of a man you are." How did Naruto and Sasuke stand in one place, talking and staring each other down anyway? She was already itching for him to start the spar before she broke eye contact.

"Oh and what if I was hiding something?" He raised a brow and struck when she stuttered.

"About the only thing, you've managed to hide from me all these years, is what you look like naked." She took the hit and dropped low to swipe his legs out from under him with a kick. Of course, he expected that, and she cursed when he moved away rapidly. "I've seen you mostly naked and wet, I doubt there's much that's been left to the imagination."

The two all but teleported around the room. It was one substitution after another, a few kicks here and there, a few rapid strikes yielding no direct hits, and through it all Neji couldn't resist smirking. He could not use his techniques while sparring indoors. As he had indicated, it would cause a great deal of damage to the interior of their home. Substitution was all he could do. She resorted to kunai every few minutes, and he dodged them carefully, leaving them pinned to walls or support beams. "I wonder how much your imagination differs from the truth."

Tenten choked back laughter. "Y-You want to find out?" It was hard to fight Neji seriously with such strange conversations going on. Over the years their conversations became increasingly odd. First it was merely Neji berating her for not focusing or dropping her guard. Then it turned into her mocking him about turning each spar into a lesson, followed by him teasing her back. In a few years time it became strange attempts to throw each other off guard with sarcastic remarks or challenges. Now they were talking about how he might look naked and he was humoring the conversation!

Neji smirked. "Lee's bigger." He saw Tenten quirk a brow at him and took advantage of her temporary distraction and questioning gaze. He caught her arm when she struck and twisted it forcefully behind her back before he forced her roughly against a wall.

Tenten twitched when Neji pinned her to one of the walls. Her arms were twisted behind her back and she sighed slightly. He pinned her much faster this time. "I doubt that. I've seen Lee naked, unfortunately. It was a particularly 'youthful' day and he was very drunk."

Neji held her tight, making sure she couldn't squirm away. "You should know better then to let him anywhere near that stuff." He drew a kunai and held it to her throat. "Do you submit?"

"I didn't let him near it, Sakura did." She let her gaze drop to the kunai at her throat. "Submit? To you?" She felt the cold metal against her skin and taunted him. "Make me."

"I thought this was 'friendly' sparring. How would I do that without slitting your throat?"

"You could start by actually pinning me." She smirked. She opened her hand and revealed a blood stained substitution scroll before leaving him surrounded in smoke. Neji was fortunate enough to block the swift counterattack she made from behind him and was careful to avoid being caught too close to the wall. "Did you know I was going to do that?"

"I knew you had something planned." He wiped the bit of blood from his mouth from Tenten's punch. It had caught him off guard and he would not allow the same thing to happen twice. "Don't expect me to leave you another opening."

"I'm a good kunoichi, I have to be, to keep up with you." _Don't ever 'leave' me an opening. _He would make good on his warning to not be careless with her, and she would not get another opening easily. Neji never let himself make the same mistakes twice, which made him a more challenging partner each time they sparred. He learned quickly and compensated rapidly for any errors. She smiled slightly, grateful for all the training with him. People had said she was too kind to help him train with no thought for her own training, however training with him had never been anything less than a challenge. "I'm good because of you."

"Being a bit modest, aren't you?" He helped her yes, and he trained for years with her, sure. However, in his mind, she was good because of the effort she had put in. Another lesson he had learned later than he would have liked. Hard work and perseverance really was just as good , if not better, than being born talented. She, Lee, and Naruto were living testaments to that very simple fact.

"We're partners." She told him through her strikes and his effortless blocks. "I helped you get to the point you're at today, and you never once let me fall behind." He barely avoided her kicks and she barely avoided his counters. Sooner or later one of them would be pinned. "I wanted to be one of the best, and you never let me be anything less than my best." She watched his footwork and strikes desperately. She needed an opening, and he was not going to just hand her one.

They moved in a complex circle. Strike and dodge shifted them around in the circle like a dance. Their foot work mirrored each other, their strikes were timed perfectly with the other's blocks. "You still put in the work Tenten. I couldn't force you to be your best unless you wanted to be." At last he saw her movements slow. She stepped a second too late, and he forced her to the ground.

Tenten felt the breath knocked out of her when she hit the floor hard on her back. She was pinned again. "I still can't beat you." She muttered when she was able to breathe easily again.

Neji helped her to her feet. "Not yet." She could challenge him more then most could, that went without saying. If she really dedicated herself to it, there was no doubt in his mind that one day she would beat him.

"You're still a few steps ahead of me every time." She was slightly faster now than him, but he was able to anticipate most of her attacks in advance, even without the byakugan. She turned her head away and looked at the kitten watching them curiously on the stairs. "It's frustrating. Eight years, and I still can't beat you."

"If it weren't for the fact we have trained together for years, I doubt I'd be able to read you as well as I do." He admitted as he wiped a bit of sweat from his brow.

"If you say so Mr. Perfect." Tenten mumbled. "Ah well, at least I can still get you to break a sweat." That was more than most people could say, whether she cared to admit it to herself or not. "I think at most it would take a few minutes longer."

"A few more minutes and you would have won?"

"No, if you hadn't trained with me all those years, it would have only taken you a few extra minutes to pin me. You've always been good at analyzing your opponent in combat." Tenten sat down on the bottom step next to the kitten and eyed Neji with a half amused expression. "You're sweating buckets, don't tell me you're getting sick again. I swear if you make me freeze in a tub again…" She began with a half threatening tone, "Was I really that hard to hold still?"

"Holding you still wasn't hard. Making sure you didn't accidentally slit your neck when I had a kunai to your throat was hard." He was still nervous from holding a weapon to her, loath though he was to admit it.

Tenten laughed slightly. "Your hand was shaking. I told you, you should just leave sharp, pointy objects to me."

"I was beginning to worry how far you would go to avoid defeat."

"I'm supposed to be willing to go as far as it takes." She answered pulling her hair back into a ponytail. "Fight to the death, or get out alive." She explained that they were the simple rules she had to live by as an assassin.

"Except I'm not your enemy. I'm your partner."

"And the only person I still can't beat in fair sparring." She flipped a kunai in her hand and looked it over. "The only one I trust to not go to any lengths to beat me too."

"Does that mean you expect Lee or Gai-sensei to kill you in a fight to win?" She was taking this spar far too seriously. What happened to her upbeat attitude from their earlier fight?

She shook her head. "No...oh never mind." It was a bit too complicated to explain to him. _I don't have a thing for them Neji, fighting someone you're not attracted to is not a challenge. Not moaning when your extremely attractive partner has you pinned to the ground, is hard work_. Beating him, would be its own reward. "I have the most respect for you, beating you would...eh..."

"Be a personal victory?" He suggested as leaned back against a support beam.

"It'd be rewarding." She smiled. _Very rewarding, if anything for the look on your face. _"I'd be just as good as I think I am." She admitted tossing her kunai across the room.

"Do you think I'd waste time working and training with someone who wasn't as good as me?" Neji asked, incredulously. Where were the self-esteem issues coming from?

"No, you wouldn't." She mumbled. The kitten was giving her the exact same look Neji was giving her.

"Then stop wallowing in self-pity and put that energy towards something useful."

Tenten twitched. "It's not self-pity, it's frustration." She got up and poked him in the chest. "I work just as hard, if not harder than anyone on our team, just to keep up with you. I trained with you every day, I trained with my dad every day after training with you, and then I trained on my own every day. You're still three steps ahead of me, no matter what I do. I'm at my limits, and it frustrates me to know I have them." She crossed her arms and looked away. "I'll beat you one day though." She said confidently. "I'll give you a real workout that day."

"What's stopping you? Try it now. I'm here, and there's nothing standing in your way."

"Property damage." She smirked. "I'm gonna need a lot more space than this. Hell, you're gonna need a lot more space than this." She tilted her head, her mood improving steadily. "Or is that just your ever roundabout way of asking for another round?"

"I won't deny it if you're looking for another spar." He took his defensive stance, even as she circled him.

"You know, usually when they say a man is insatiable they aren't talking about sparring." She moved in slow circles around him and stopped behind him.

"I hope you're referring to men like Naruto and their appetites." When he turned to face her, Tenten merely chuckled and shook her head. "Are you implying that when I spar with you, I am in fact flirting with you?" Neji arched an eyebrow.

"Oh, someone's reading too deeply into stuff." She shifted her stance and struck out at him with an amused smile. "I mean that, you never seem to get enough of sparring. Maybe it is your way of flirting, I dunno, you aren't the flirty type though."

"The image of me being openly flirtatious is amusing to say the least." He caught her hand and returned the strike, a mildly pleased smirk curved his lips when she redirected it flawlessly. "I doubt I could do so in the usually accepted manner." He remembered the training sessions at the beginning of their mission all too well. No one had fallen for their act, and it had mainly been his fault. It took days of her torturing him before it all sunk in.

"No kidding," She mumbled shifting away from his strikes, "flirting with you would have to be a suicide mission of sorts. Even Ino and Sakura asked how I managed to seduce a human ice cube. Heh, I think I actually told them it was something that just happened in training and missions." She laughed and jumped back away from one of his kicks.

Neji rolled his eyes. "Yes, because I find autassassinophilia so unbearably attractive." He dodged her rapid kicks and returned one of his own. She shifted in perfect sync with his attacks and avoided each blow.

Her pace slowed though and she laughed almost uncontrollably. "You really do have a hell of a sense of humor when no one's around to hear it but me." Dodging his attacks, she noted, was much harder when laughing hysterically.

"Most people simply do not understand my humor." He told her while he shifted his foot and tripped her when she tried to step back from what appeared to be another kick.

Tenten allowed herself to fall for a few seconds before she caught his leg with her own and forced him down with her. She hadn't exactly meant for him to fall on top of her, but she wasn't complaining. She was still laughing, even with the weight of him on top of her. "Pity people don't get it, because you are very funny sometimes."

"Few people have the intellect to appreciate it." He answered, looking down at the girl laughing under him. There was something…just something about hearing her laugh and feeling her laugh. She continued laughing for a few minutes before she got a hold of herself.

"Ok, that was our worst spar ever. Pretty bad when we're both down this fast you know?" She was still trying to fight a chuckle.

Finally, Neji laughed as well. He sat up right and pushed Tenten's hair back from her face. "I never thought I would beat you with a joke."

"I don't know if that counts for your victories." She shrugged on the ground. "I mean, I took you right down with me. Kudos for beating us both with a joke though."

"I'm the one that had you pinned."

She laughed again and didn't try to contain her laughter. "My aim was off, I expected you to fall next to me, not on me."

"Maybe it was my intention to fall on top of you." He stood and offered his hand to her, which she promptly took and got to her feet with his assistance.

"I don't think you were intending to fall." It sounded nice though, him intending to fall on top of her. "I haven't heard you laugh like that in a while though." She pointed to his face and smirked. "Even got you to crack a smile, how rare is that?"

"I did no such thing." Neji frowned, rapidly wiping the smile from his face.

"Why do you act like it's such a bad thing? It's nice to see you smile once in a while." If truth had to be told, she had always enjoyed his rare moments smiling. He had a very warm, gentle smile, and the young children in Konoha were very fond of it, especially the girls. "It's not like your fangirls are here to see it."

"I'd much rather the fangirls to the fanboys." His frown deepened and his mind returned to the original reason they were sparring. He, most likely would be facing an interrogation the next day, he needed to relieve his frustrations.

"Your fanboy isn't here either." She sighed. "Next time I'm not going to tell you when you're smiling."

"Selfish aren't you? Keeping my smiles to yourself." He let the corner of his mouth quirk. "Are you up for another round, or do you want to stop for the night?"

"Are you going to have to crack a joke to win?" She stepped back a few paces and took a familiar defensive stance.

"Only if you don't admit defeat." He smirked as she took his standard defensive stance, this time without a single flaw.

Tenten raised her hand to guard herself. "Admit defeat to you?" She returned his smirk. "Never."

"You will before the night is over." He slid back and shifted his weight before lashing out at her again, he used his full weight as momentum and gradually increased the speed of his strikes.

Tenten laughed again and shifted out of his attack range. "If you plan to beat me by making me laugh, you might be able to pull it off." She threw light strikes at him and allowed him to block or redirect her strikes while she searched for the ever elusive opening.

"I wasn't aware that you found dry humor so amusing that you could lose because of it." He struck swiftly, though not as accurately as he would have liked.

"You're the only one with a dry sense of humor that I know." He knocked her back a bit, but she recovered quickly and turned his attacks back upon him. "Naturally I've somewhat adapted what I find amusing to suit that."

Neji tilted his head, both in a questioning manner and to avoid a strike of the elbow. "You make it sound like you've adapted yourself to suit me."

"It kind of happened naturally." There was the perfect opening, he was slightly distracted. "It happens when you grow up." She turned rapidly and threw a hard kick at him.

He grunted, grabbed her leg, and held up on her one leg. "You're grown up? Who was the one making the pillow fort in the basement?"

She smirked before forcing herself into a jump that would utilize her momentum to spin and force her leg from his grip. She turned a hard kick to his side as she turned and landed a little too gracefully. "You're childish too sometimes."

"How is that?" He grunted from the force of her kick and rubbed his side slightly as she moved out of reach.

"How often do you tease me?" She smirked. "Jeeze Neji, distracted much?" She quirked a brow when he rubbed his side. "There's no way that should have hit you...you're a lot faster than that."

"Is that so?" As soon as the words left his mouth, he was gone. "Or maybe I'm just luring you into a false sense of security?" He continued from behind her. Training with Lee always had its advantages, irritating though the training sometimes became. One had to be very fast to keep up with Lee, even with the weights on.

Tenten titled her head when she sensed him behind her. "Maybe. You of all people though, should know that attacking me from behind is a total deathtrap."

He dodged the weapons that she rapidly threw at him, frighteningly accurate, despite her back being turned. "Or maybe I know how to avoid such traps." He told her when she ceased her attack.

"You could just submit." She smirked. Sure, he knew how to avoid many traps, but eventually he always slipped up. Usually it took a lot longer for him to walk into a trap though, and usually with significantly more space in their training grounds, he could get out of it easily. She lifted her hand and tugged sharply on the air. "You just let me set up a wire trap. Usually, you're a lot better at avoiding traps like that." She smiled darkly when his legs and hands were drawn together and he fell to the floor. "Don't worry, I won't count it as a victory, even if it is." She knelt down on the floor and tilted his chin up to look at her. "You don't have space to use to your advantage, and we're both avoiding property damage, so we can't go all out."

"I wasn't aware we were using weapons for sparring." Neji raised an eyebrow, wiggling a bit in his confines. the wire cut through his shirt, and bit into his skin. She had forced him to still. No joke or tricks, the wire was very real and she wasn't playing around anymore.

Tenten smirked and knelt on the floor in front of him. "It's not a spar if I don't make you work for it hm?"

"It's not a spar if you can't win with your wits and your fists." He squirmed a hand discretely, his hands carefully worked through the seals. If Tenten was going to play dirty, so was he.

"It's never a spar when I'm winning." She smiled slightly and brushed a finger over his lips. "Not to worry, I can keep that a secret too."

Neji smirked against her fingertip. "Who said you were winning?" He whispered before leaving her in a rapidly dissipating cloud.

Tenten's smile widened in response to his clever escape. "Oh yeah, now it's a fight..." She barely dodged all his strikes when he finally attacked. Most she took lightly, but she felt her chakra suddenly limited. The flow was weaker and it greatly affected her perception. She had a harder time deflecting and dodging his strikes. Neji, clearly wasn't playing around either.

They were almost devastatingly close blows. Their strikes, if serious, would have severely injured any amateur that crossed them and Tenten almost gasped in surprise when she felt more of her chakra restricted. His last four strikes, had effectively cut off a large portion of her chakra. She knew better than anyone how debilitating a loss of proper chakra flow was. He knew how much it affected her as well. While her accuracy could not be affected by the weaker and somewhat restricted flow of chakra, her perception was severely hampered. Perception was just as important as accuracy, she always told him.

'_It's like a weapon, if you keep it in perfect condition, the advantage is yours. Accuracy means nothing if you can't perceive the movements of your opponent and anticipate their actions. Hehe, it's not like they're going to stand still and wait for you to hit them after all.'_

Neji was not disappointed by her at all. She stepped up her game to match the higher stakes. She could not anticipate his next move, so her strikes became faster, and to his never-ending amazement, painfully accurate. She struck several pressure points that caused unbearable pain or numbness, significantly slowing his pace. _She's not a little girl anymore, the sooner you stop looking at her as just a girl and your best friend, the easier it will be to fight her. _She knew he was holding back, he saw it in her eyes, but he reminded himself that he had to hold back. _She's not a little girl…but you'll beat yourself up about it later if you hurt her._

He expended most of his remaining chakra to keep her on her toes, and she expended hers in defense. He was mildly surprised when she deflected what would have been the winning blow, with her bare hand and a surge of her chakra. Another strategy, so very similar to his own techniques.

They landed a strong series of attacks in perfect sync, and she felt his heavy breathing in the small space between them. He was wearing out. Tenten panted slightly when they separated from their last attacks. He was breathing as heavily as she, and not to her remote surprise, smirking just as confidently.

"I thought you were winning, Tenten." He cocked his head to the side, stepping sideways, preparing to cut her off from another assault.

"I'm winning as long as you're questioning whether or not you're winning." She mirrored his steps and chuckled. "I still stand by my initial statement. You looked good on the floor." Her eyes flashed mischievously. _Looked great bound on the flo-oh bad, bad Tenten_. "Come on, you're getting worn out, you're not going to be able to hold out much longer." She was aware, however, that Neji outclassed her in endurance, and he always had.

"If I'm tired, you must be exhausted. Don't forget Tenten, I know your limits."

"I know yours too. I know your weaknesses, your limits, better than anyone." Her eyes softened though, it was a moment of weakness for her. She could never take total advantage of his weaknesses. "I am getting exhausted though." She conceded.

Neji paused, weighing the situation. He was tired as well, and he had the 'test' with Nobaru the next day. "Are you proposing a draw Tenten?"

"Sounds more like you are." She shrugged. "The pillows are looking tempting huh?"

"Hn." Neji spared a glance. "The kitten is trying to eat one."

Tenten chuckled. "We really should try to at least rest soon, maybe not sleep, but rest. I doubt you want to face Nobaru wiped out."

Neji shuddered. "That is an unpleasant situation to think of, to say the least."

"I can settle for a draw for now then." She smiled as she passed him. Far from graceful, she flopped down onto the pillows, causing the kitten to bounce lightly from one pillow to another. "You realize this room means we won't have to make a mad dash for the shower as often right?" She asked as she stretched out slowly.

He nodded, sitting on the blankets. "It will be much more convenient." By a long shot, it was far less compromising than sitting on the couch or pretending to shower for hours would be.

"Like that spot in the woods." Her eyes fell shut and she smiled. "Except, Ino won't be able to listen in, and your uncle won't sneak up on us."

"And we won't wake up with you screaming because one of Shikamaru's deer wandered off and decided to try to eat your hair." He chuckled. That memory was one he enjoyed thinking of, her waking up in a panic on a mission, yelling about of all things- a deer eating her hair.

"Or you screaming about a butterfly landing in your hair and a camera flash going off..." Tenten smirked broadly. Ino and Sakura had said it looked like he was wearing one of those ridiculous hair clips Hinata had for festivals.

"I told them I didn't want my picture taken." Neji picked the kitten out of his hair, and laid it on Tenten's chest.

"They're girls," She told him before sharply tugging him down to the ground next to her. She shifted almost instantly against him and rested her head against his shoulder. The kitten curled up on the other side of her. "it would be a miracle if they listened to your request, especially without you giving them something to buy their silence."

"I'll bring Nobaru and Taiki back with me next time. It'll distract them a while at least." What, with Sakura' yaoi fangirl moments and Ino's fashion sense; Taiki and Nobaru wouldn't be left alone. The comment earned him a small fit of laughter against his shoulder, a sign of agreement, and amusement from Tenten. Neji stretched out, relaxing on the thick pillows. He was comfortable, and reasonably tired out now, a vast improvement from earlier in the day. He took a deep breath, and considered preparing for his next task, dealing with his 'test' in the morning.

"You'll be fine tomorrow," She whispered confidently. "remember...just like I'm interrogating you." Her soft yawn broke her words apart. "J-just stay calm an-and relaxed like you do with me. No problem at all."

Neji leaned his head towards hers. "It's not the interrogation I'm worried about." He said back, his voice a soft murmur.

"What are you so worried about then?" She could hear sleep tugging at both of them. They quieted down so quickly, and already the tiny kitten was curled up in a ball, purring loudly.

_My eyes_. He wanted to say it, but pushed the thought _away. Nothing will happen. _Everything would be fine, and he needed to keep that state of mind to succeed. "The mission." He answered after a long pause. It was true enough.

"You are such a horrible liar." She shifted onto her side and propped herself up on an arm. She stared down at him and waited for him to look at her. "What are you really worried about?"

Neji sighed quietly. "I am worried about the mission." she couldn't take the easy answer, could she? "All they have to do is notice my eyes for this to fail."

"I thought so..." She sighed quietly. In all honesty, she didn't have a way around his concern there. There was nothing she could do to ensure nothing went wrong, other than give some confident assurance.

"There is no point worrying, it will be a long day tomorrow." The pillows weren't the most comfortable to lay on. He turned to his side, brushing a bit of hair out of Tenten's face so he could see her. "Let's both just stop worrying and go to sleep."

"That sure as hell doesn't sound like your usual self." She smirked. "I like it. We should wear you out more often." She nodded lightly so her cheek brushed against his hand. In her mind there was a ridiculous conversation going on, between what felt like an inner Ino and Sakura. It was disturbing but both were telling her to just lean forward and kiss him. She let herself slide back down onto the ground and rested against the pillows, inner Tenten clearly had won the dispute. "You know, I haven't slept well in weeks."

"Then close your eyes and relax. We both need to rest properly." He wanted to add in some facts about the success rate of being properly rested during long term missions, but was to tired to come up with any exact percentages. He had a feeling also, that she would tease him about it. He watched her nod though, and she closed her eyes.

She hadn't been sleeping well she noted, for a few weeks, and she slept perfectly when..._I'm NEVER going to be able to sleep well, for the rest of my life._ She sighed quietly and tried to let herself sleep. It had been a few weeks since he held her at night, and she was far too proud to ask him to. _Damn pride. _

Neji pulled a thin blanket over him and laid unhappily. The basement which had been pleasantly cool before, was downright frigid now that he wasn't attempting to escape loss at the hands of Tenten. His eyes shifted to look at her and noticed the slight shaking of her hands. Tenten was cold as well? Sliding closer, he placed his blanket over Tenten, and joined her under hers.

"We're gonna need to get a heater down here in the winter." Tenten whispered when she felt him move closer. "Felt a lot warmer earlier." Of course it had though, she told herself, they were sparring! That involved moving, quite frequently and rapidly!

"Mm. We need a heater here now." He mumbled, content now that he was starting to warm with her closer to him.

Tenten held back a chuckle and wrapped her arms around him. She had a very clear memory of him making a comment at one point, that he thought she only liked him warming the bed. "I got my heater, I'm good." Neji just shook his head in response as he shifted slightly to get comfortable. It ended with his arm around Tenten's waist, and her head resting against his collarbone. He could feel the soft inhale and exhale as she swiftly entered a deeper state of sleep.

"Good night, Tenten." He whispered against her hair before his own eyes succumbed to his combined exhaustion and relaxation.

* * *

AN: Sorry about the delay in updating, the site wasn't letting me get this uploaded, kept giving me silly errors, but it looks like that's been straightened out. Kigen and I might be delayed in our next update ahaha...we have like two pages written hehe...we're working on it, we swear!

On a side note! Autassassinophilia is very real. We did not make that one up. A person with the paraphilia of autassassinophilia is sexually aroused by putting themselves in situations in which they may be killed. I know, wow. Don't believe me? Google it.


	21. Chapter 21

**Disillusioned**

Chapter 21

* * *

There were two methods to go about testing jounin. There was always a physical exam which was a standard deciding factor in the skill of a jounin, and there was a written exam. That was the part most would-be jounin failed. The testing of Tsubasa, was far from standard. There had been hundreds of people who worked on setting up a proper test, down to an oral examination, which he had passed with flying colors, and another more personal exam that would be given by Nobaru.

The Raikage was pleased with this idea. An interrogation room was set aside, and a chuunin would escort Tsubasa to the testing location. Nobaru however, had his own ideas about what was appropriate in a test of this nature.

"Come on, why can't I use the blindfold?" Nobaru asked, looking up at Taiki as he flipped through the files on Tsubasa. "This is an interrogation after all."

Taiki crossed his arms. A good week of rest had done wonders, and he was back to his old self. "Because he's blind, his eyes are covered anyway, and this is a test for a possible new jounin of our village, not the interrogation of a criminal." Taiki groaned and ran his hand through his hair. "I'd think you had enough of interrogating anyway. You've been dealing with that kid for nearly a week since Haru was ordered more time off."

"Bah, I'm not a pedo. I don't go for the prepubescent." Nobaru placed the file down. The kid, Isuri, had been something else, talking to him was like talking to an impassable wall with a very sick sense of humor. Sick even, by the standards of some of the most sadistic killers perhaps. As far as Nobaru was concerned, he was a real messed up bastard of a brat. "Besides, kid wasn't even cute." _Or sane. _"Tsubasa will be a lot more fun to deal with."

"Behave yourself. I have no doubt at all that his wife would be happy to get you removed from service if she finds out you did anything inappropriate." Taiki's eyes snapped to the door when there was a light knock, indicating that Tsubasa was in the interrogation room waiting. "You couldn't just do this somewhere else, hm? It had to be in the interrogation rooms?"

"This is an interrogation, and it does set a certain mood." He smirked a moment, before giving Taiki a serious look. "I still don't trust him like you do, perfect ass aside. If he's hiding anything. I'll find it." He strode over to the door and threw it open with a broad grin. "Nice of you to join us, sunshine."

"I'm here for a test Nobaru, not a date." Neji sighed, he felt a headache forming rapidly. "How do you want to do this?" He asked Taiki, knowing he'd get a better answer by asking the chuunin.

Taiki sighed. He pointed to Nobaru and then to Tsubasa. "Nobaru, you ask questions, Tsubasa you answer. I make sure no lines are crossed. Keep it simple and to the point, Nobaru." He sat down against a wall and rubbed his forehead lightly. Somehow, he was certain it was going to be a long, long morning.

"Well, let's get to it. Take a seat Tsubasa, and we'll get started." He waited until Tsubasa was seated, and strode around, sizing the man up. Tsubasa didn't flinch or fidget, not that he expected him to. The man was good at hiding his nervousness. In an almost bored tone, he started asking the basic questions: name, rank, origins, level of schooling completed, and so on. Everything one would expect from the standardized testing methods. Of course, Tsubasa answered them all perfectly. It was time to go a bit deeper. "Why become a jounin?"

Tsubasa tilted his head back. "You're the ones who asked me to become a teacher, I was told I would have to be a jounin by the village's standards. I want to make use of my abilities, despite my recent blindness and leaving the Leaf and my former status as a chuunin, I still have skills to offer."

Taiki's eyes lightly shifted from Tsubasa to Nobaru. The use of the interrogation room was really a bit overboard. It wasn't like Tsubasa could appreciate the cold, steely, intimidating feel of the dark, tiny room. How did you intimidate someone who couldn't see what they were dealing with anyway?

"But why become a ninja again at all? Didn't you leave Konoha for a new life, a quiet existence with your wife? Have a kid or two and become a family man? Why give that up and risk your life for our nation?"

"A ninja is a ninja until the day he dies, wouldn't you agree Nobaru? Just because I can't perform the same duties I have before, doesn't mean I can't do it at all." Neji answered calmly.

"Even if it was more than just teaching a bunch of kids? This isn't an interview for the school, Tsubasa. This is your test to become a jounin. Yes, we'll be keeping you at the school for the time being, but will you be prepared to fight and kill in the name of the Cloud Village?"

"If the Raikage asks it of me, then yes. I will fight for this country."

Taiki sighed and leaned back against the wall. Was Nobaru truly expecting anything less? So far though, at least Nobaru wasn't crossing any lines. There was no touching, no flirting, and it was all business just like Taiki liked it.

"Even if it meant fighting your home village, friends, and your family?" Nobaru laid a hand on his shoulder and squeezed it lightly. "If the Raikage asked you to kill your wife, would you do it without hesitation?"

"Nobaru." Taiki muttered as a single warning. It was a fair question, but it was a question he never liked.

"It's an honest question Taiki." Nobaru said, leaning over Tsubasa. "One that needs answered, Tsubasa." Taiki sighed quietly and nodded more to Nobaru than anyone else. He agreed, sadly, that it was a question that had to be answered, even if he didn't like it.

Tsubasa took a deep breath, making an effort not to jerk away from Nobaru. "If my wife was a threat to the security of the land I swore allegiance to, and there was evidence that she needed to be dealt with, I would."

"What if you hadn't seen the evidence? What if the Raikage wanted you to kill your wife, without telling you why?" Nobaru prodded, his grip tightening lightly.

"I would ask a reason." Neji jerked his shoulder away as he spoke. "I hope that the Raikage would honor me with that much before I agreed to willingly kill the woman I love."

"Fair enough." Nobaru stepped back and circled the room once more. "But since we're on the subject, let's talk more about the she-harpy."

"She has a name." Taiki muttered.

"Yeah, yeah. Amanda or whatever." Nobaru waved him away. Taiki was always so sensitive about things like that, and it was the first time he had even called her something insulting that day! "What does she think about you becoming a ninja again? I would think she'd was looking forward to a quiet life even more than you. I doubt she's happy that you're going back to duty so soon."

"Amaya isn't looking forward to the fact that I will be an active ninja again." Neji admitted, hands resting in his lap. "My injury has her concerned as well. However, she does agree with me that teaching children should not be too hazardous to my health." The words were said with faint amusement. Every ninja knew that academy kids in the midst of learning jutsu could be far more dangerous than a real fight with the enemy. "She knows how much I miss working as well, and she is supportive."

"I'm sure you will survive." Nobaru continued to circle the man, making Taiki feel vaguely dizzy. "Though it really doesn't matter what she thinks. She won't be around much longer."

Neji made a disgusted sound. "How many times have I told you, I'm not leaving her for you." He frowned. Really, he thought that Nobaru was finally getting over him and focusing on Taiki.

Taiki remained tactfully silent. Mind games were all apart of the deal, all new jounin were subjected to basic interrogation methods before becoming jounin, and it included some less than pleasant interrogation. Nothing physical...all just a game. So he sat back and closed his eyes, content to just listen, and yell at Nobaru if need be.

"Oh, not that sweetheart. Though I am open to whatever you're willing to do." Nobaru smiled, fingers brushing Tsubasa's hair off his shoulder. Taiki didn't even crack his eyes open a peek.

"Nobaru. Hands off."

"Party pooper." Nobaru did take his hands off. "But that's not what I mean Tsubasa." He stroked his chin, acting as though he was contemplating something serious. "This is supposed to be classified information. But I suppose I could let you in on it. The fact of the matter Tsubasa, is that you've already been accepted as a jounin for Lightning Country. This interrogation and the tests, are just a formality. You're a Cloud Jounin now."

"And what does that have to do with Amaya?" Tsubasa asked, leaning back in the chair. His fingers twitched, but otherwise, he was the picture of calmness.

"Nobaru, just get to the point." Taiki mumbled dully. Nobaru was enjoying making Tsubasa as nervous as possible, and it wasn't working as quickly as he intended.

"The point is, Amaya is going to be killed."

"What?" His voice was confused, posture tensing. He made sure that confusion was the main emotion being shone. "Why is Amaya going to be killed?"

"There has been several compromises in our security since you've moved here Tsubasa. Top secret files are missing."

"Damaged camera in the hospital too." Taiki said quietly.

"Not all of them fortunately." Nobaru smirked, keeping his eyes on Tsubasa's tense form. "There's an image of her on one of the cameras. Not to mention all the times that a break in happened, you and Amaya were not being watched."

"You can't honestly expect me to believe that." Tsubasa sighed. There was no way that they knew it was him or Tenten. This was nothing more then a mind trick for the interrogation. It was all a lie.

Taiki could feel the almost unnerving energy in the small room. Tsubasa was not fooled easily. He was uncomfortable, that much was for certain, but he could tell that he wasn't buying it. His chakra did not spike in panic, his breathing did not accelerate, and it was almost as if he was completely calm.

"Wish I was making it up sweetheart. I bet it was lucky for Konoha when you lost your eye sight. They take their times with plans though. Training her from a young age, having her hide her talents from you, having her purposely fail out of the academy for more advanced training, even having her pretend to fall in love with you. I mean, it's a common story. A ninja past their prime, a nice civilian wife; they move away to another nation where they hope to start a new life without missions, without wars-Except here the civilian wife is a secret ninja spy of the jounin level who's been sent to gather intelligence on the enemy."

Taiki rolled his eyes lightly. Still nothing, Tsubasa was eerily calm and he shrugged at Nobaru. Sometimes, a good jounin really did just fall on a nation's doorstep. "You're so calm, considering the possible consequences, Tsubasa, the Raikage could ask you to kill her to prove your loyalty. I know I said I hate tests of loyalty but, with rather damning evidence..." Taiki tried not to sigh. Nobaru was a much better liar than he was.

Nobaru scoffed. "The Raikage isn't that cruel Taiki. He wouldn't force someone to kill his lover when he could avoid it." His smirk widened. "That's Haru's job."

Neji frowned at that. The psychopath had been near their house for the past few days. He had even spoken to Tenten on a few occasions. "And this Haru is going to kill Amaya?" Still, he kept his voice even, unbelieving.. He wasn't going to fall for this trick.

Taiki shrugged. "Having Haru kill someone would be merciful." Taiki muttered. Haru's genjutsu made him feel on edge.

"Mm. You forget though. They need to interrogate her first Taiki." he chuckled. "Can't say I'm not getting a bit of morbid enjoyment from it. The she-harpy is a bitch, breaking Tsubasa's heart like that."

"And what would Haru do that's so horrible?" Even as Neji kept his voice steady and a bit curious, his mind was shouting at him. _Genjutsu_. _Genjutsu that rivals the Uchiha clan's in the hands of a psycho who can't control himself. _Even though she never said it, Neji knew that genjutsu scared Tenten, it had ever since her ANBU exam.

"He could make her wish, that he had simply killed her." Taiki said quietly. "You love her? You're calm, but you're concerned for her, I feel it."

"Of course I'm concerned for her. She's my life and I care deeply for her. However, I know she is not a spy and this is nothing but a part of my initiation tests." Neji said simply.

Taiki smirked at Nobaru and shrugged. Clearly, Tsubasa was a very cool customer. _What now? He knows you're just toying with him Nobaru._ He crossed his arms and leaned back against the cold metal walls.

"You really are jounin material, aren't you Tsubasa? Not even flinching when we speak of torturing and murdering your wife." Nobaru came to a stop behind the other.

"He scored higher than you and Haru on the verbal test too." Taiki mumbled with a chuckle.

"Big words impress Matsuri." Nobaru scoffed, his hands rested on the back of the chair. "What I want to know is what you think service is going to be like without your eyesight." His fingers traced the bandages around Neji's head, going through his hair again.

Neji stiffened. "Hands off Nobaru."

"I'm only going to see what you're hiding under that blindfold." Nobaru said softly, leaning down to speak in the other's ear. "Or there something I'm not supposed to see?" His fingers found and untied the first knot.

"Nobaru, the Raikage gave you specific orders to not touch him, at all...I've been lenient." Taiki called from his corner of the room.

"I've kept my hands to myself." Nobaru said, bandage in hand. "This is just another test. I want to see what's under the bandages."

"Nobaru if you make me get up, I'm going to be in a foul mood with you for the rest of the week."

"Jealous?" Nobaru rose though, dropping the bandages in the process. "Does that mean if you stay where you are, you'll be in a good mood with me all night?" He wasn't going to get anything in an interrogation room with Tsubasa. He was too good; Nobaru knew it. There was no point dragging the interrogation on any longer.

"It means I won't tell the Raikage that you did have physical contact during the exam." Taiki shrugged. Nobaru wasn't getting anywhere fast with anyone, except maybe Haru. "You might want to go find that chuunin who offered to be an aid to the jounin at the academy. You need to finish the report on this exam also, I have to add it to the main report."

Nobaru sighed and waved Tsubasa off. "You're free to go Tsubasa. Someone will contact you when we're ready to instate you." Once Neji had nodded and left, Nobaru's teasing face turned hard. "He's a spy." He told Taiki.

"Oh will you stop it already?" Taiki grumbled. "You have no proof, and of all people, you think his wife is an active ninja? You're losing it Nobaru. Even the best make mistakes. Deal with it."

"I'll accept that Amaya is a civilian, but there is no way that Tsubasa is. Have you looked over the tests? He's perfect jounin material!"

"Have you actually read his file??" Taiki muttered in mock amusement. "He was going to be tested as a leaf jounin, his injury put a stop to that. He never claimed to be a civilian, he knows his stuff, and should have been a jounin by his mission record." Taiki shrugged. "I should be a jounin, some people choose not to, others simply can't."

"He should have been made jounin a long time ago; back years ago if this is his current level. Doesn't it make you wonder?"

"I was supposed to be a jounin at eighteen. I'm twenty-two now so, to be honest, it doesn't make me wonder." Taiki finally stood and stretched. "They don't need to be watched anymore, fortunately we're down to the last weeks of watching them. Don't you think your boys would like to hear that, they don't have to worry about sitting out in this weather?"

"I still want him monitored occasionally, and for him to be limited to the academy until more time has passed. I don't care what anyone says, my instincts are never wrong."

"The grocer..." Taiki muttered. "Fine, he can be monitored at the academy, and we will restrict his access to the rest of the important facilities, thus limiting him to the academy. Deal?" Taiki offered as he walked to the door. The small interrogation rooms lacked the warm feel of immigration's larger, more comfortable rooms. "You probably shouldn't have tried to make use of home turf here, I don't think it's easy to intimidate someone who can't see how small and cramped this room is."

"Deal." Nobaru followed Taiki out of the room and into the hall. "The room sets the mood through." Nobaru said, as he walked. "I doubted we'd get anything out of him anyways. He's too well trained to walk into an obvious trap."

"Hopefully he can pass some of that on to the kids. We haven't had a good group out of the academy since...jeeze my class was it?" Taiki mused while walking down the dark halls. "Get your report to the Raikage. We already sent in the test results from the other day."

"Yeah yeah." Nobaru sighed and threw his arm around Taiki's shoulder. "Listen, I know you think I'm being paranoid, more so then normal, but keep your guard up. Humor me if nothing else."

"Fine...fine..." Taiki muttered. "You are being paranoid though."

"Better safe than sorry love." He stole a kiss before turning on heal and heading to finish the report. "Catch ya later, Taiki."

Taiki merely rolled his eyes and turned down a different hall to head back to the shelters. Things were running more smoothly, but someone still had to bark orders every once in a while. He laughed quietly in the dark cold tunnels leading to the shelters. Tsubasa, was without a doubt, one of the most relaxed men he had ever seen interrogated by Nobaru. He couldn't help but laugh to himself again. At least he was going home to a nice, warm, comfortable home, instead of the shelters and a cot in a makeshift tent.

* * *

Neji hurried through the village, it was still raining a bit, not as much as the previous week, and he heard that a storm was on the way in yet again. He didn't so much mind being damp, he had made it out of the interrogation unscathed, and that was far more than he had hoped for. "I'm home." He called, slipping his sandals off at the door.

Tenten called from downstairs. She was practicing, because cleaning was easily done almost a few minutes after he had left. Ryuu was pouncing on her scrolls in a corner, and tried every so often to balance on them, while she practiced being 'more fluid' with her taijutsu. As far as she was concerned, Neji would never be satisfied. "How'd it go?" She called over her shoulder when she turned her back to the stairs.

"As expected. I passed with flying colors." Neji walked down the stairs, watching her shift from one low stance to the next. "Nobaru tried to make it out that Haru was going to kill you for being a spy. Taiki is convinced we're not."

Tenten stumbled slightly in her step. "Kill me?? Mr. Super-Murder-Genjutsu-of-Doom? Seriously they tried to play that card?" Tenten shuddered though. Execution at the hands of a genjutsu user was never pretty.

"They did play it. I don't think they were taking it seriously." He sat on the pillow pile and shoved Ryuu off his lap when the kitten abandoned Tenten's scrolls in favor of harassing him.

"I figured they'd do something like that. So it went just like you thought it would?" She asked quietly. "Did you get felt up?"

"He played with my hair a bit." Neji admitted with a sour expression. "The only thing missing was him declaring me a spy and strip searching me."

"Guess it went ok then." She sighed softly in relief. She didn't have to kick down a door and beat the life out of Nobaru, and that made her feel better. "I have some bad news though." She held out a piece of paper in front of him. A dinner invitation. "Nobaru and Taiki are expecting us later tonight, for dinner. It's like they knew you'd pass or something..."

"It's not too big of a surprise. Nobaru even said this was only a formality, though it may have been part of the interrogation." Neji groaned as he took the paper. He had had more than his fill of Nobaru for the next decade.

"I've gotta go too, if it makes you feel any better. I get to be tortured too this time." She offered with a smile.

"Great, a double date." Neji muttered, snorting a bit at the mental image. "How long until we meet them?" He asked as he lifted the kitten by the scruff of the neck off his lap and set him on the floor.

"Well it's still morning, and we're not expected till later." She answered reading over the invitation. "About six hours, or five and a half to be on the safe side. So you can take a nap or something...You look like you have a headache." Tenten smirked. "I'll just get back to practicing. Yeah, I already know, I'm still not fluid enough." She rolled her eyes and returned to her practicing.

He agreed with the headache part. He could feel the pounding in his temple starting with Tenten's words. A nap didn't sound particularly enjoyable though. "I'll pass on the nap." He watched Tenten maneuver her way across the floor, his eyes followed the curve of her body from one stance to the next. "Did you strain a muscle?" He asked, seeing the way she favored her left leg rather than her right.

She paused and glanced over her shoulder. "You can tell just by watching me?" She titled her head, not entirely surprised, he was the most observant person she knew. "I just pulled it about fifteen minutes ago." He had probably noticed her delayed motion, or perhaps that she was applying less pressure to that leg when she shifted. "You are way too observant."

"You're favoring your left leg." He pointed out, sitting up and watching her more closely. "It's hindering your movement." She would have to be careful not to strain it any further, or Nobaru and Taiki would notice.

"It's just a pulled muscle, it'll be fine in a bit." She watched him watch her every move and her imagination just happened to wander while she continued. Spacing out was common for her, so he probably wouldn't call attention to that unless she hurt herself in the process. "So where exactly in the village did they take you for the interrogation anyway? Probably no place special, just as a precaution."

"It felt like an interrogation room." He hadn't dared used his Byakugan to find out. However, it had the cold feel of metal and echoed slightly when they spoke. "It didn't last long, and it didn't quite seem like Nobaru was taking it seriously." He had mentioned Tenten, but that had been expected, Neji was certain he did it only to gauge his reaction. He was also certain, that Nobaru wasn't taking the interrogation seriously, like it was a game and he was just waiting for a wrong move in it.

"I doubt he would take it seriously." She shifted through each stance as fluidly as her body would allow with a pulled muscle. "I mean, it doesn't really fit in with the way this village has been. A serious interrogation would be like, a serious investigation right off the bat when we arrived. You'd be expecting it, you'd be more likely to make mistakes if something happened you weren't quite expecting." She felt her leg protest when she shifted into a different stance, one that had made her blush wildly in the woods. The kitten was watching her intently. "Last time I tried to stand like this for long, without support, I fell on my face." She pointed at the kitten. "I swear he was smirking at me, just like you would have been."

"I think you've been locked away in the house for too long. You're mistaking the kitten for a person." Neji stood, moving to brace Tenten with a hand. "You need to move your foot slightly, like this," he used his own foot to nudge her into the proper position, "this way, the ball of your foot takes a bit more weight and makes it easier to balance."

"I'm gonna fall over again." She told him as she felt her leg cramp up slightly. She noted though, that just as he said, she felt more balanced than she had previously.

"Then stand up straight." Neji pulled her upright, letting her rest against him a moment while she regained her balance. "You need to adjust yourself to suit your body rather than what you've seen me do. The positions I stand in will not suit you as they suit me."

"Yeah, yeah. I know." Her father had said something similar once. He told her she needed to take what she had learned, and adjust it to suit herself. "It was a lot easier to apply that to weapons though." She muttered, dully throwing a kunai across the room at a target, one that appeared to have taken quite a beating. The way she threw her weapons was different from her father. Her grip was loose by comparison, his was more firm, but she had started almost exactly like her father. "So, if I move like this," she began as she shifted back into the stance she had left off at, "and just put my weight on my foot a bit differently," she said as she shifted into the next stance, "it won't be as difficult. I guess I keep forgetting to factor in our height and weight difference."

"That's the one flaw to learning by watching. Even if you mimic the other perfectly, unless you can make it work for you, then you've learned nothing useful."

"That's what the practicing part is for." She stopped and stretched slowly. "At least I have someone to tell me when I'm making mistakes. It really is impressive, that you learned all this just by watching, and practicing on your own, before you started training with me."

"You make it sound easy. It was a lot of trial and error before I learned anything." Though he had been called a genius by ninja standards, there had been a lot of failure before success, and very few people were privy to such knowledge about him.

Tenten nodded. "That's why it's impressive. Trial and error all on your own, and heck now you're the best at it." She gave him an affectionate smile before she looked away. "I guess that's why I chose to mimic you, I knew it wasn't going to be easy. I never wanted it to be easy." It made her feel closer to him, even though she would have never admitted it out loud. "It's so similar to how I fight and so different. It's like a close range version of my long range fighting."

"That's to be expected with our history." They were teammates for years, and had developed many of their best skills to counter each other. "It would only make sense that our abilities would mirror each other in many ways. We've learned from each other. You found my weaknesses and utilized your strengths to help me overcome them, and I've done what I could to help you do the same. We compliment each other."

"Compliment..." Tenten began before trailing off. They did compliment each other, and in her mind, in more ways than one. "Oh. Oh! Ha-ha, yeah we do huh?" She rubbed her head slightly, well aware that he knew she had totally spaced out.

"You do need to get out more. Your mind is starting to play with you." Neji started walking up the stairs with Ryuu at his heals. "I'm going to make lunch now. Hopefully tonight will at least do you some good."

"Yeah..." Tenten sighed and looked around. Maybe a good bit of time being harassed by Nobaru would snap her out of whatever daze she was in. She hurried up the stairs and glanced out the window. "Eh...that's what they call a nice day?" It was still raining, just not as hard as it had been. It was more a light drizzle with little breaks of sunlight between passing clouds. "It's so wierd seeing rain for so long." Summer was more or less half a month, at least by Tenten's count.

"It is by this country's standards. Enjoy it while you can, there's another storm on the way." Neji answered, putting away dishes from the last washing. "What do you feel like eating?"

"Doesn't matter, as long as I'm not cooking, it'll be fine." She sat down on the couch. "Is it sad that I'm looking forward to dinner? For the eh, entertainment?"

"Only if you're embracing a masochistic side I haven't seen before." He settled for some spicy noodles and stir fried vegetables and went about combining the ingredients.

"Hm, yeah I just love the idea of being miserable for hours watching you fidget while Nobaru tries to get you to admit you want him." She laughed to herself. "I just haven't had much human interaction this past week. Even you were busy most of it." Only the previous night had they spent a large amount of time together in the entire week. "Guess I should get used to it, with you working I'm going to be spending most of the day home alone huh?"

"Go out and interact with Karou and the other housewives. It'll occupy you and make you seem more like a normal, bored housewife of a jounin."

Tenten mumbled under her breath. It would make her seem like a normal, bored housewife of a jounin. She wasn't normal by any standards though, and even though she was bored, she sure as hell was no housewife. Appearing more the bored housewife though would probably be better than appearing the bored assassin.

Neji smiled at her mumbles. "I know. You hated the housewife angle from the beginning. Try to play along, even if it does get dull."

"Remind me to wring Naruto's neck when I see him again." She said when the kitten hopped up onto the couch and curled up beside her. She scratched his head and chuckled, apparently cooking got boring when food didn't fall on the floor.

"Will do." Neji said from the kitchen, out of the corner of his eye he saw Ryuu purr and stand up. He crouched down, wiggled his bottom in the air before jumping and landing on Tenten's shoulder. It dug it's claws into her shirt, clinging there with a mewl as it struggled to steady itself.

Tenten winced but smiled. "Ooh, hey now." She helped the kitten get a better seat on her shoulder. "Careful, that hurts you know?" She was far more gentle with the kitten than Neji was, and far more tolerant of the tiny claws digging into her skin. The kitten had a habit of trying to play with her buns sometimes, just like every so often he would try to swat at Neji's hair when he was sitting down. "He's so curious," she laughed, "sort of like Naruto but less orange."

Neji peered into the living room. "Well, he can see better from up there. Careful he doesn't scratch your face." The kitten just nuzzled Tenten's face and purred contently. Tenten laughed for a few minutes while the kitten tickled her face, she only paused every so often to comment to the kitten that the food smelled great, or that the rain storms would be starting up again in a few days, or even that, he distinctly reminded her of a more affectionate version of Neji. "That thing is nothing like me." Neji objected while he set the table. "I don't climb on top of you and nuzzle you, do I?"

"You had to a couple times." Tenten pointed out calmly. The kitten seemed to mirror her amused expression.

"Name one." He was certain he had never done it.

"The night we faked it in the bedroom? Remember the peep that just wouldn't go away?" She recounted the many times he did have to 'climb on top of her and nuzzle her,' for an audience sure, but he still had done it.

He rolled his eyes. "Name a time when I wasn't acting as Tsubasa, and did it as myself."

"Uh..." She recalled countless times he did it..._In my dreams_. "Hm...Ok! Last night!" She said triumphantly. "You were practically on top of me a few times and you did 'nuzzle' was it? Yep, right against my neck. Woke me up fast." _And you loved every second of it_, a little voice teased her. It was so much like having a mentally pocket sized Ino commenting on life.

He paused, chopsticks half way to his mouth. "Are you sure you weren't dreaming this?" He never had a habit of nuzzling in his sleep as far as he knew. It bothered him, when had it begun if he really had done it? _Subconscious reaction to a dream-I have no idea what I dreamt about last night…_

"Oh yeah, I'm sure I wasn't." She pointed to the kitten. "Ryuu was chewing on your bangs. Oh yeah, and your lips, were right here." She tilted her head to the side and pointed to her neck, right where it met her shoulder. "Girls remember when stuff like that wakes them up, that stuff happens in corny romance movies, rarely in real life."

"Are you sure I wasn't just trying to swat away the cat?" That made sense, trying to squirm away from the cat, that apparently was chewing his hair while he slept.

Tenten shrugged. "Then, I guess you had a bad dream last night too hm? If you weren't having one, you looked like you were." She told him while the kitten attempted to sniff the food she picked up with her chopsticks. She showed it to him to humor him, curiosity didn't hurt when you were young.

"If you let the kitten eat that, he'll get diarrhea, and I'm not going to clean it up." He took a bit of the noodles himself, frowning at the spiciness. He hated them this strong, but kept finding himself making them hotter for Tenten. "I doubt I just started to nuzzle you in my sleep after all these years."

"I think you were having a bad dream. You did less cuddling and more sighing when I played with your hair a bit." She smirked slightly at his expression while the kitten backed away from her noodles. "Oh look at this, another thing you two have in common, a dislike for spicy food."

"I did not cuddle." Neji frowned, reaching over to pick up the kitten and place it on the floor. "Of course it hates the food, it may be a demon, but even demons listen to their instincts and know what's bad for them."

"Well like I said, you were more sighing contently when I started playing with your hair." Tenten stated simply before devouring most of her food. "It got you to stop moving so much though. So did you have a bad dream? Or was it a good one?" She teased.

"A wonderful dream. You declared your never ending love for me and I took you to the bed and had my way with you until you were begging me to stop." Neji muttered sarcastically, rolling his eyes. "I don't remember what I was dreaming." Tenten had stopped eating though.

She nearly dropped her chopsticks and her cheeks were slightly pink, due mainly to the fact that he joked about having a dream she was certain she actually had a few times. "Cute...ok then I'm guessing it was a bad dream."

He shrugged. "I really don't remember it. I believe it was a good one though. I woke up in a pleasant enough mood, all things considered."

"Well that's good, since I imagine dealing with Nobaru was pretty annoying." She finished her food quickly. "I was having a bad one before you woke me up, so I guess I should thank you."

"Oh? What were you dreaming about?" Tenten didn't usually have bad dreams, not ones that would wake her at least.

"My exams..." She said quietly. She didn't want to say too much, but her jounin exams had been kind to her, compared to her ANBU examination. "...the genjutsu portion."

Neji frowned. It was selfish, but he didn't want to know what had happened to Tenten, he didn't want to know what she had been put through. He had an idea of course, but didn't want to admit it or accept it. "It's best not to think of such things. Just remember, they never really happened."

"I get to tell myself that every single time I wake up from it. Haven't told a single person what it was about, no one really would want to know anyway." She pouted at her empty bowl and pointed to his. "You gonna finish all that or what?"

He finished the bite on his chopsticks before handing the bowl over to Tenten. "It's a wonder that you don't have a hole in your stomach from that waste." He said, taking the subject change when he saw it.

"You are such a baby." She answered finishing off his noodles as well. "It's a good thing you're such a good cook. You'd be starving I could actually cook this."

"Your cooking would burn holes through the pots." He picked up the kitten that had again made its way onto the table. "Get off there." He mumbled, setting it on the floor. "If I couldn't cook, we'd likely be living off of instant ramen and take out."

"I know how much you'd just hate that." Tenten smirked. "I'd get sick of it too I think." Her smirk only grew wider when the kitten hopped up onto her lap, placed a pair of paws on the table, and poked his head up.

"Don't let it get on the table." Neji frowned. "We eat here."

"And I clean it every day." She answered scratching the kitten behind the ears lightly. "So what exactly are we going to do for the rest of the day till torture begins?"

He shrugged. "I would suggest sparring, but it wouldn't do any good to injure your leg further."

"You could work on your aim, but you miss a lot more when I'm watching." The kitten sniffed her bowl empty and broke out into a sneezing fit. "It's just a pulled muscle you know, it'll be fine in a bit."

Neji wrinkled his nose at the sneezing animal. It was perfect, animal snot, all over his dishes. "Still, if you stress it anymore, Nobaru and Taiki will notice. Best not stress it if we can avoid it."

"I guess. Still, what to do the rest of the day?" She looked around. "They day's gonna be pretty dull. Ok, how about this, you practice hitting a target without injuring either of us, I mean actually hitting the target, not the wall near it, the target." Tenten teased. "I'll stretch lightly so I don't make the pulled muscle worse, and we'll make ridiculous small talk just like old times?"

"Like last night with pointy weapons instead of me pinning you to the floor." He stood, cleared the dishes, and wrinkled his nose slightly at Tenten's bowl.

"You want me to wash that bowl?" She smirked. She always thought he would be a good father, but for some reason, she was right about him not being the best pet owner.

"I can wash a bowl." Neji scowled. He picked it up and resisted the urge to drop it. The bowl was slimy where the cat sneezed on it. "Go ahead and stretch, I'll meet you downstairs."

"You are such a baby. It's cute though." She laughed slightly at his expression and headed downstairs with the kitten.

"Disliking mucus spewed from a kitten's nostrils does not make me childish!" Neji called down the stairs after her.

"Neji, it's like a mist, it's not like Lee with a runny nose." She laughed as she set the cat down.

"There's a film Tenten." Neji took a breath and bit his tongue. He would not make a big deal over kitten snot.

"Big deal. Stop making a fuss over it." She called up the stairs and smirked proudly at the cat. "He hasn't made a fuss like this since that time Lee was hurt and Neji had to carry him." She sat down and stretched out on the floor. "He sneezed on his shoulder, pretty nasty actually." Tenten nodded at the kitten who climbed across her legs while she stretched. "His whole shoulder was covered with blood and snot everywhere, made Ino nauseated when she saw it."

The cat jumped onto Tenten's shoudler, sniffed her hair, let out a soft 'mew' before breaking into another sneezing fit. Tenten laughed softly as Neji, having finished the dishes, walked slowly down the stairs. "Enjoying youself?" He asked, seeing her sprawled out on the floor, looking significantly more comfortable than he felt.

"My leg still kinda hurts." She answered. The kitten had taken up pawing at her bangs. "It should be ok later though."

"It's going to claw your eyes out if you aren't careful." He grabbed a few kunai and turned to the well used targets throughout the room. Tenten's strikes were painfully obvious on the targets.

"Nah." Tenten said petting the kitten and pulling her bangs away from his little paws. "He's more careful with me than you." She set one of her scrolls down for the kitten to play on while she continued to stretch. "You know, this basement kinda looks like..." She looked around the room. "Like mine..." Her father used it for storage and indoor training, her mother did the laundry there, but appearance wise, and just going by size, they were very similar. "Minus the dirty clothes mom hasn't cleaned yet, and the various damaged walls from my dad throwing stuff at them."

"Give it time. I'm sure you'll punch a few hole in the wall." It was true enough, now that he thought of it. It was like her parents basement, right down to the ugly carpet. "Now, are you going to give me any challenges other than hitting the targets?"

"Hit the same spot on the target, twenty times. No misses, I'll be watching."

Neji sighed and did as she asked. She was right, it had been a while since he had a chance to practice his accuracy. It took effort just to hit the targets. "I need to train more."

"Yeah I can see that." She said quietly. He missed his mark a lot. "It's ok though, long range combat was never your specialty." There were so many things she could correct...

"Then show me." He was hitting the targets, he had done what she had asked, but he should have done it better.

Slowly, Tenten got up and walked in circles around him. "Ok first off..." She stood behind him and put her hands on his shoulders. "This will feel weird at first but shift your weight back a bit, keep yourself lined up with your target." She lifted his hand to aim at the target. "Remember that line of sight, does not mean your weapon will strike that point. You're aiming at what you think you're seeing, not what's there." She lowered his arm slightly. "You're taller than me, look where the target is, you need to aim lower than your line of sight."

Neji followed her advice, it was hard shifting his body the way she asked, it was harder to correct his aim. He threw a kunai and cursed. He barely hit the target. He would have to adjust his aim a bit more.

Tenten smiled and watched him adjust his arm a bit. "Try this. Close your eyes." She said quietly. It was how her father had taught her.

"Close my eyes?" Of course that meant she wanted him to not look at the target. "How is not seeing the target going to help my aim?"

"Ok fine, watch." She stepped to the side of him, shut her eyes, and drew a kunai. "You know where the target is. Even with my eyes shut, I can visualize exactly where it is, and..." She threw the kunai and struck the exact place his had. "I can hit any point on it, because I use my chakra to focus on that single point. Find a point and focus your chakra at it. Follow that line of chakra, and strike at it."

"Chakra visualization?" Neji asked, turning to her. He tried it again, and while he hit closer, it was still off. "It must have taken you years to learn this technique. Did your father teach you?"

"Yeah." She smiled slightly. "I was always a natural, my dad used to say." It took precise chakra control, to do it without being detected, she explained. "It should be easier for you than anyone else we know, except maybe Sakura."

"All it takes is practice." He already had the basics down. All it would take was fine tuning. He flinched inwardly as he missed his intended target. _A lot of fine tuning_. He was used to controlling chakra, but not so far out of his body, not quite to this degree.

Tenten looked at exactly the spot he was aiming at. She shifted his arm slightly. "It might take a lot of practice. Try it now though." At least now, the trajectory would be right.

He tried again and again. Each time slowly getting closer and closer to the target. "It will take a lot of time and devotion to learn to aim this way." He mumbled and attempted to deepen his concentration.

"Yeah." That however, was something he was good at it. "You're good at it though, you always have been." She leaned her head against his shoulder for a second. "You'll get it."

"I know. It'll just take time." He stood still and allowed Tenten to rest against him. It was comfortable, the gentle weight of her head against his shoulder.

"Ok, now, let's see if we can get you to hit that mark today." She moved behind him, stood on her toes and rested her chin on his shoulder so she could see. "Hm...yeah, I think you can hit that." She handed him a kunai and guided his arm into position to aim. "Move your arm where you think it should be to hit the mark."

He did as directed, getting close, but a tad too far to the right. He frowned, tried to concentrate hard, and tried over and over again. He adjusted himself each time to see how he could improve. Lowering his arm a bit, shifting it a bit to the right, no left, then raising it a fraction of a degree and-

"Loosen up your grip a bit. Hehe, you throw a bit too hard, just let the motion flow smoothly, you know...be more, oh what do you always tell me?" She teased. "Be more fluid is it?"

"There is a difference between being fluid and being limp Tenten." He obeyed none the less as he adjusted his grip accordingly.

"Hey, just be happy I'm letting you stand still while you do this." She muttered. "Dad made me run around, dodge his attacks, and hit the targets."

"There's not much room to maneuver down here." Neji pointed out as he turned and hit a target on the opposite wall.

"The less room the easier it is. There's less room for error." She told him, casually throwing a kunai over her shoulder at the same target he had struck. She tried not to smile, knowing with absolute certainty that she had struck the very center of the target. "It was all second nature to me, sort of like, instinct I guess."

"Weapons are you specialty. I'm sure you can do things with them that no one's ever thought of." Neji turned to face another target, this time he struck the center.

"You have no idea..." She smirked. "Actually, there's an older technique in my family, meant to be used with the other clans actually." She went over to the corner and pulled out one of her older scrolls. "It's part of the reason I underwent intensive chakra control instruction, and learned to suppress the chakra of others as well as my own. It requires I use a lot of my chakra, and draw on the chakra of another."

Neji blinked, surprise clearly registered in his features. He had never heard of this technique, and had not expected it to involve large amounts of chakra. Tenten's family was known for their masterful weapon creation and utilizing them, not their ninjutsu. "Oh, and what would that be?"

"It'll deplete most of my chakra, so it's a last resort kind of thing. My family had designed it to work most effectively with one of two clans." She opened the scroll and showed him. "It was designed to work with the Uchiha and the Hyuuga. The reason you haven't heard of this, is because the person who uses it needs to have expert control, and one other important factor. Perfect accuracy."

"So what does it entail?" His curiosity was more than piqued. As far as he knew, his family had not worked with Tenten's in many years, and it went without saying their bond with the Uchiha was practically nonexistent. "I'm curious." He admitted.

"I could show you, but I'm gonna need a nap until dinner tonight to recover my chakra fast enough, it's eh..." She paused and thought it over. It was very difficult to explain with just words. Words were never her strong point anyway, Neji was much better at explaining things, she was better at demonstrating. "...It's hard to explain."

"Wouldn't it be harder to show than explain?" He didn't doubt that Tenten was able to do what she said, but from her words it didn't seem the least bit easy.

"Ok, a combination of both. This won't be impressive here, we'd need a lot more space for it to be impressive." She placed her hand on his back and gave him a simple command. Activate his byakugan, pick anything in the room and focus on it, "Not the cat either, I'll hit you very hard if you pick him." She told him not to tell her what he was focusing on. "You'll see why."

Neji had the general idea what would happen, and for a moment contemplated using the cat. However, even he was not that cruel. He only wanted the monster gone, not injured. He chose a target on the far wall, one behind Tenten. "Okay, I have the target."

Tenten tugged lightly on Neji's hair. "Yeah good choice too, I really would have injured you, if you had in fact chosen to focus on the cat. Yeah...I know you thought about it, I felt your chakra direct at him for about a half second. Either way..." She promptly threw multiple weapons over her shoulder directly at the target she felt his chakra focused on. "Creepy part is I can see exactly which target is, clearly, because I'm temporarily using your chakra as my own to visualize which target to hit. It means, you probably can't feel it, but a lot of my chakra is in your system right now, or I wouldn't be able to use it at all. The perfect accuracy is important because, when you have to use so much chakra, you really don't want to miss. You can see targets that are in my range of hitting, targets that I just can't see, but could hit if I could...it was designed specifically to be used with a Hyuuga, a very skilled one, or an Uchiha, for assassinations that required multiple targets eliminated."

"What about the ones that are out of your range?" Neji asked, impressed. It was as he thought it would be, and he didn't doubt that Tenten could hit that target without looking and without his aid, but he let his mind wander to the bigger picture. To be used in battle, against enemies in a larger space, targets that she couldn't see that he could...there were too many possibilities, too many remarkable possibilities.

"Those can be forced into it with my traps, that's why I was given extensive training for traps and explosives when I was fifteen." She waited until she could draw most of her chakra back from his system and into her before removing her hand. It left her lightheaded for a few moments, and she quickly sat down. "My father told me, that it is so rarely used, because my family never had strong ties with the Uchiha, and naturally, the Hyuuga kept so much to themselves. There has to be a strong bond between the user and the person who's allowing their chakra and skills to be used. Otherwise, it's too hard to allow the chakra to mingle properly, chakra poisoning is a likely end result if the two haven't worked together long enough."

"Which was why your father was so adamant that you and I be on the same team." Neji said, realizing now the fuss her father had made all those years ago. His mind replayed Tenten's words as he sat next to her on the floor. "So, I'm the only one that you can do this with, correct? You couldn't do this with Hinata or Hanabi, could you?"

She shook her head. "They'd probably kill me with their chakra, or I would severely injure them with mine. I-" She looked down dejectedly. "I was reckless once, I attempted it on a mission with Sasuke, because it allowed me to force the effects of his chakra into my weapons, direct strikes would force the targets into potent genjutsu, and was less stress on his sharingan." She stared down at the floor, recalling the almost devastating results. Sasuke had come out from it with complaints of mild illness and fatigue, she had been unable to move, paralyzed for nearly two weeks, while Shizune and Sakura worked diligently to draw out the remaining chakra that left her crippled. "We failed the mission, Shino got me back to the village safely, I was the only one who couldn't move."

"The time I came back from a mission, when you were confined to a bed for two weeks, that's what happened?" He asked, remembering those days well. It had been one of the few times he had been unable to visit his teammate, and no one would tell him why. "Why would you have tried that with Sasuke? You two had barely worked together at that point. You said that there needed to be a level of familiarity to prevent the chances of chakra poisoning."

"I admitted I was reckless too." She said quietly. "I knew, even when I did try it, that it wouldn't work. I felt it, I could hear this little voice in my head telling me it would never work with anyone but you. I was afraid to try it again after that, so I put myself through more chakra control training. I didn't want to be responsible for hurting you if I couldn't withdraw my chakra and separate it from yours easily." She explained that Sasuke did get sick, but that had been luck, he could have been worse off. "He could have ended up like me, I didn't want that to happen to you, if I ever got the guts to try it again."

"So it would be alright if you were stuck bedbound with chakra poisoning as long as I didn't get sick?" A part of Neji was sick at the thought. She'd probably risk her health for his and he'd never know she did it, if she masked it well enough. Did Tenten reallly think so little of her own safety?

"I knew it wouldn't happen to me with you, the problem would be if I couldn't extract chakra fully from you." She tilted her head at his strange expression. "Which is why I took the additional chakra control lessons...so that it wouldn't cause me problems, and so that it wouldn't cause you any...you heard the part where I said 'me' also right??" She knew that expression, oh yes, it usually came right before a lecture about taking better care of herself.

"Yet you brush off what happened to you, and speak about what could happen to me." Neji sighed, running a hand through his hair. "Why aren't you more concerned about yourself, rather than everyone else around you?"

"Would you get mad at yourself, if something you could do, severely hurt me? Would you stop thinking about your own life for anyone, ever?" She shrugged. "It's always risky to worry about someone else before yourself, I know I can take care of myself, I took the additional lessons in chakra control to ensure my own safety first, after what happened with Sasuke. If I hadn't been working with you for so long, your chakra would be able to kill me so easily." She reminded him that at one point, he had almost killed Hinata, and just as easily, his chakra out of control in her system could kill her. "The first time we sparred I couldn't move much for a few weeks, you told me I was acting like a girl..."

"Getting hurt in a fair spar and getting injured from a stupid mistake with disregard to your own, personal safety are two completely different things." Neji took another deep breath. It had happened years ago because of a stupid mistake. Tenten had obviously taken measures to make sure it wouldn't happen again. _So why am I so irritated by it?_

"You know...you're giving me the roundabout lecture about worrying about my safety through all this, but you're not talking at all about your safety. It's kind of hypocritical to be telling me to worry about myself, when you're not mentioning your own safety."

"I trust you to protect those around you. I don't trust you to put your safety before theirs." If he didn't worry about Tenten, who would?

"Ok, how about we make a deal? I'll worry about you, so that you can focus on worrying about me." She teased. In all honesty, that's how the situation felt. Why was he so worried though? _I went through all the training to ensure my safety and the safety of others...why are you so worried about me? _She titled her head to the other side and smirked cheerfully at him while she awaited his response. _I'm not a little girl anymore Neji. I can take care of myself._

"Fine, fine." Neji sighed, pinching the bridge of his nose. He could feel a headache coming on and figured it was nearly time to go out with Nobaru and Taiki. "I'm going to go wash up before we go out."

"Good idea." She said quietly before messing up his hair. "Just make it fast, I need a shower too you know? Oh, I finished all the laundry, yours is up on the bed." She pointed at the ceiling above them. Her mother had told her once, doing a man's laundry was like being engaged to them. Only significant others or a mother did the laundry of any man that did not do their own. She tried not to twitch. What did that make her anyway?

"Thank you." Neji had never had anyone to wash his laundry from him other than servants. His views on the matter were slightly skewed when it came to the opinions from Tenten's mother. Although, he did had to admit there was always a strange feeling whenever Tenten folded his underwear. He couldn't tell if it was embarrassment, or because she folded them at an improper angle.

"Except your underwear. That's your job this time, I swear if you correct how I fold one more time, I'm just going to cut your hair like Lee's while you're sleeping. So you can do it this time. Let's see you fold better." She smirked triumphantly. Neji was horrible at folding clothes, as he demonstrated one of the few times she allowed him to help.

"You never complain about how I fold your clothes." The panties, the shirts, and pants, he folded them all reasonably well. Though Tenten did like to complain about his way of folding towels into fourths rather than thirds. He couldn't tell the difference in all honesty.

"Because I don't care how wrinkled my close are." She smiled. "Oh, and I refold them when you're not in the room." She pointed to the stairs. "Go on, get your shower in, we've been down here a lot longer than we thought."

Neji waved an arm dismissively and headed up the stairs for the shower. After a quick wash, he went to the bedroom and nearly groaned at the fancy outfit on the bed. "Please, tell me we aren't going to the lightning country's equivalent of Akiko's."

"You know, I think you've gotten kinda lax in your style since we got here. This is exactly like what you wore to the festival the night you became a jounin." She pulled her hair up in a single bun and turned her back to him. "Like, exactly like it. You said you wore it because it was not only nice, but comfortable." At least he didn't have to wear a dress. She tossed her robe to the side and dressed slowly. "It could be worse, Ino could have picked it out."

"But it's still dressy clothing." He frowned, reminding himself that if he turned to speak to Tenten face to face, she'd be topless and he didn't need to see her topless at the moment. "This feels like one of Ino's ideas, but worse because Nobaru is behind this.

"I've already seen the place, it's just a bit formal, it's nothing like Akiko's." She assured him while she pulled on her dress. It was one Sakura would have approved of, one that she had purchased in the cloud village. "You're gonna need to help me with this." She jerked her head over her shoulder. "I can't find the uh..." She reached for the clasp she knew should have been there, but it simply eluded her fingers.

Neji shook his head and turned, closing the dress for Tenten. "I swear, Naruto has an easier time dressing like a woman then you do." He muttered, half teasing. It was still strange, seeing Tenten in clothing that was so feminine. So strange even that it was hard to shake, that it was something as simple as a dress that made her look so-

"I'm not really quite as in touch with my feminine side as he is." Tenten answered leaning back slightly. She could hear the teasing tone of his voice, and knew that her comment would be appreciated enough to earn her the faintest chuckle or smirk.

Neji let out an amused breath and straightened Tenten's clothes. "I can't argue with that." He answered, giving the dress one last tug before turning back to his own clothing.

"Neji?" She sat down on the bed and tried not to think too much. What if Nobaru started asking her stupid questions? What if he made a scene? What if, what if, what if...

"Hm?" He focused on tying the sash for his waist. The outfit was comfortable and relativity simple, but the belt was a pain to tie. If there was one thing you'd think was simple, it would be a belt, who the hell thought it was a good idea to make a belt complicated anyway?

"The next time Lee bursts in and asks us to enjoy a 'youthful dinner' with him and Sakura as a 'double date' can we just do it and count ourselves fortunate that we're not having dinner with Nobaru?"

"Agreed." _It would be heavenly, compared to how tonight is sure to go._ He thought still trying to tie the belt.

Tenten smiled and turned to help him tie the belt. "Let's get this over with, shall we?"

"The sooner the better." Neji took her hand and headed for the door.

* * *

Tenten sat at their table lightly tapping her fingers. She was certain Nobaru had done everything in his power to make the night as irritating as possible. Only ten minutes after they sat down, she was certain the waiter was being slow on purpose. He was smirking, she was annoyed by it, Taiki and Neji appeared to be trying to avoid getting drawn into the strange staring contest. "It was so nice of you two to treat us to dinner after Tsubasa's tests, he's been so annoyed just sitting around doing nothing." She said sweetly. Neji did hate doing nothing, he loved doing something, anything productive. Lee often told him he was all work and no play, and Tenten agreed.

"The pleasure's mine Amaya." He smiled, it was a sickeningly sweet one and he acted like his one hand wasn't under the table and Taiki wasn't blushing. "I can only imagine how stressed and bored the two of you are with all the testing going on." Not stressed enough for his liking though. He always thought the jounin test should be enough to make weaker men cry for their mommies. Sadly, it appeared he wouldn't be seeing that in Tsubasa.

"I've been the bored one, with him out of the house so much the past few days." She tried not to twitch when she felt a foot, distinctly male rub her leg. Somehow, she had a feeling that it was aiming for Neji's leg, and missed. She leaned her head over onto Neji's shoulder to hide her lightly tugging his hair to command him to say something. "I think he was a little stressed, but you know how easily a stressful day can be worked out at night." She maintained the most innocent smile she could, and enjoyed the faint, but obvious shift in Nobaru's expression. Taiki, she noticed, finally slapped Nobaru upside the head for no apparent reason.

"Ow, what was that for? You know where my hands are."

"He may know where your hands are, but you've made my wife very aware of where your feet are. If you could kindly keep them to yourself, it would be appreciated." Neji said, wrapping an arm around Tenten's shoulders. Taiki slapped the hand away and tried not to chuckle. Nobaru trying to play footsie under the table was just so typical.

"My mistake. Rest assured Tsubasa, I have no interest what so ever in your wife." Nobaru's hand was back on Taiki's thigh again. The hand rested a little bit higher than before.

"If you want to use that hand tomorrow Nobaru, remove it." Taiki muttered. If there was one thing he was not in the mood for, it was being felt up over dinner. He sharply elbowed Nobaru in the side.

In turn, Nobaru rubbed his side and pouted. "And you were so nice and eager to please the other night." More like too tired and exhausted to fight off a few kisses and snuggles, but he wasn't complaining.

"Probably too wiped out to fight back..." Tenten muttered. Taiki still looked exhausted, his hair was messier than usual, and he had faint dark circles under his eyes.

"You say it like I assaulted him. I merely made sure he slept without drugging or performing an jutsu on him."

"Oh, you must be hearing things, I didn't say anything important." Tenten smiled politely and ordered her drink when the waiter finally returned. _It's going to be one long irritating night_, she thought despite her best attempts not to. She could already feel the tension and annoyance radiating from her normally cool, calm partner. She leaned a bit closer to Neji and told him that when they got home, she was going to require a massage, because headache medicine alone was not going to do the trick.

The hand on Tenten's shoulder went to her neck and lightly rubbed the skin there. They would both have killer headaches before the night was through. _Just relax_, he tried to tell her, _grit your teeth and wait for it to be over._

Fate perhaps, was mocking both of them. Their waiter went home sick, which meant, their orders would be delayed, to avoid them catching anything. Someone new was being called in for the night, and all the orders had backed up, it would be at least a half hour before theirs was taken care of.

Tenten sighed when the manager apologized. She made sure not to glare daggers at Nobaru, who seemed most amused by the horrible turn of events. There was simply no way it was planned, but her mind was certain that if he could have planned it that way, Nobaru would have.

"My apologies. If I knew that this would happen, I would have suggested another night." Nobaru sipped his drink, looking far too thrilled. "Now that you've been in this country for the worst of the storms, how do you find it compared to your Konoha?"

"It's still a bit strange to consider a heavy rainstorm with slight breaks of sun a 'nice day' especially if, you consider that Kohona's worst rain storms were light showers in the spring." Tenten answered watching her drink. "I don't think the weather bothers Tsubasa much. I'm the one not used to such strange weather shifts."

Neji shrugged, his hand rested still on Tenten's neck. "I'm sure I'll hate it with a passion next year when I'm dealing with kids through it. Are all seasons beginnings this bad though? I recall being told that this year is the worst it's been in a long time."

"Every fifty years or so." Taiki said quietly. "Next year probably will be stormy as well. It's usually very predictable storm seasons for about fifty years, then a year or two of horrible weather. It always clears up in the summer though."

"We will know to expect it though. The death count will be lower next year." Nobaru patted Taiki's shoulder before retracting his hand. The country always got so lax after so long with calm.

"It's the bad thing about the long calm periods of predictable weather. It's always the younger generation that suffers the most in dealing with the next wave of bad storms." Taiki looked up slightly. "The last time it was like this, none of us were alive. Even we are only used to the predictable storms. Some of us are smart enough to know to always expect the worst. Compared to the last great storm season fifty years ago, we lost significantly less lives."

"Our ninja have improved greatly since that time." Nobaru turned, smiling as a new waiter made his way over. "It appears as though they've called in the backup."

Tenten mentally rejoiced. "Fantastic, I'm not sure about you guys, but the smells coming out of that kitchen are making me hungry. Not quite as good as Tsubasa's cooking I'm sure, but at least tonight he won't have to worry about me trying to learn to cook better."

"A relief indeed." Neji teased, giving his order when the waiter arrived. To his satisfaction the man apologized profusely for the delay and mess. If there was ever a time someone should have apologized for inconvenience, it was that night. Being stuck with Nobaru for longer than an hour was irritating.

Taiki tried not to chuckle when he gave his order. What Amaya had ordered made Tsubasa wince visibly. "Not one for spicy food I take it?" He asked. "I give it a winter, you'll come around." He watched the pair of them closely. Both were eager to leave, more than likely because Nobaru set just about everyone on edge, but at the same time they seemed so calm as a pair. "You two are much closer than you let on directly. Even for newly weds, you're very comfortable with each other." While it was true, that most newly weds were close and cuddly, the pair were more at ease and relaxed. They were more likebest friends. He shoved the thought away though.

Tenten shifted slightly. "He's never been one for spicy food." She sipped her drink and tried to think of how to explain their comfort with each other. "We've been together for years, being comfortable with each other just comes with the turf I guess." She offered. "From what I gathered, most of the women here don't get to spend a great deal of time with their husbands, why is that?" There was no way they'd tell her the real reason, she knew they would not admit that a large portion of the village was involved in the research, but it would be nice if, for one part of the night, they were the ones asking the questions.

"Most of the men here are either researchers or active ninja. As I'm sure you can tell, we work them very hard. Most of the civilian wives moved to this area with their husbands a few years ago." Nobaru answered, keeping his answer vague.

"Researching what?" Tenten acted as confused as she could. "Like hospital researchers? Konoha didn't have many, I think we had a good deal who specialized in medical ninjutsu, so maybe we just didn't need as much research." She lightly nudged Neji. It just wouldn't look right if she kept asking all the questions, he'd need to do more talking. She laughed mentally to herself. _Neji? Start and maintain a conversation with someone besides me or Lee? Yeah, that might be asking too much_.

"You could say that. It's highly classified material, beyond even your husbands reach at the moment, I'm afraid." Nobaru smiled, leaning back in his chair.

"Medical research?" Neji asked leaning forward. "I am confused as to why this country needs so many? Is there an illness in these lands uncommon outside of it?" Neji quickly straightened. "Forgive me for prying into classified information. I just wish to know if there's anything we should be aware of, or take precaution against."

Taiki answered carefully. "We've always been a bit behind the other villages in terms of medical care and skill. The country has a history of bad blood and warmongering. In a time of peace like this, we should focus on the well being of our people, better trained medics, and better supplied hospitals are a part of that. With the kind of devastation that can come from our weather, we should be one of the best in medicine, not the worst." He glanced at Nobaru. "With the bad weather, often comes less common illnesses, particularly when so many people have to be so close together because of evacuations."

Nobaru nodded. "There isn't too much to worry about for you though Tsubasa. The children in the area are kept well vaccinated. That's at least one thing we don't fall behind on. As long as you or your wife don't spend long amounts of time in the lower levels in the country, and take some minor precautions when out and about, there is nothing to worry about." He nodded, their question was well within the limits of a less than suspicious question. He still didn't trust them, even though their question was well disguised. "That being said, set up a time at the hospital to start a series of vaccinations."

Tenten winced. "S-shots?" She didn't mind them, but she didn't like them. The idea of being given a shot in a foreign country worried her as well. One little swab of a needle afterwards and a good DNA test would tell them all they needed to know. "I hate shots..." She lied and rubbed her shoulder lightly. "I still remember getting them when I first moved to Konoha. Father told me I cried like a baby for nearly two days."

"It would be in your best interests." Nobaru pressed on. "You can catch of lo of nasty things around here if you aren't careful. And skipping out because you're afraid of needles is about as careless as you can get

"Like you really care if I get sick or not..." She mumbled. Nobaru would probably be thrilled if she was out of commission.

Taiki merely chuckled into his cup. "She's feisty." He commented quietly.

"Let's see how feisty she is when she's running a fever of 105 and going into convulsions." Nobaru smirked. "Ah well, your funeral. Tsubasa however, you'll be required to get them as a jounin. It's standard procedure, you understand."

Neji frowned. "They need to be screened first. I had a few bad reactions to injections in the past."

"That can be done...but with how ill you became from just a cold, the vaccinations are in your best interest. We don't want you dropping dead on us." Taiki added.

"It'd be a waste." Nobaru added, hand slipping under the table.

Taiki quickly elbowed Nobaru. "Don't even think about it." He muttered when their waiter returned at last with their food.

"I didn't even do anything." Nobaru defended. Was it that hard to believe his leg itched?

They made small talk while eating, Tenten attempted to be as lady-like as she could while eating, while Neji tried to find out more about the Raikage and the changes in the country, since clearly he was not the same one they had encountered in the past. It was hard to be so quiet, to not poke too far into things, to not comment on everything that begged to be commented on. It was contrary to Tenten's nature, and very contrary to Neji's to talk so much.

Nobaru kept his eyes on Tsubasa and Taiki's knife. Surviving one stabbing attempt was nothing to be proud of, Taiki would try again eventually. His eyes however, kept flickering to Amaya. She seemed to be holding herself back, like she wanted to ask questions, but knew she couldn't. It didn't help Nobaru's suspicions against her.

Finally, Tenten sighed. "What is it? You've been staring at me for the last twenty minutes, and it's rude." She said staring directly across the table at the jounin who seemed intent on being their personal nightmare in the village. "If there's something on my face, you've made me look like an idiot long enough, so whatever it is spit it out."

"Waiting to see if you actually finish that bowl of Mapo doufu. Most people would be crying by now or at least unable to feel their taste buds." Nobaru feigned innocence.

"One of the places in Konoha makes it pack a bit more punch..." She said quietly finishing her food. "You're looking at me like you expect me to sprout two heads and breathe fire." She said calmly as she picked up her drink and took a sip.

"I wouldn't be surprised about you breathing fire after eating that." He answered, smirking. "Though, if you did spout another head, it'd certainly make you more interesting."

"Yeah I'm sure Tsubasa would be thrilled..." She mumbled sarcastically. Nobaru was horrible at hiding what he really thought, she mused while she rested her head on Neji's shoulder again. She could see it in his eyes. He thought she was still an undercover ninja. "Is something else bothering you though? I figured you'd be gawking at my husband all night or staring at Taiki, not me."

"I've been staring plenty at your husband, but trying to be polite. Taiki is easy to stare at when he's not holding pointy cutlery." He smiled staring her down.

She took her lessons to heart. Ino had told her if a man stared her down, acting like a civilian woman meant not staring back to see who blinked first. It meant averting ones eyes, which she did promptly before looking back at Nobaru and repeating her question. "Is there something else bothering you? You look like there's something you've been wanting to do or say all night. I doubt it's an apology for rubbing my leg in an attempt to get to my husbands either so..." She waited patiently for his reply.

"Simply some inner thoughts I'm sure you don't want to hear about. After all, I must be polite to you, or both our lovers with castrate me." He grinned as his hand reached down to grope Taiki's ass. _When in doubt, perv your way out._

Taiki however quickly caught the hand and twisted the offending wrist sharply. "He thinks you're a ninja." He shot an annoyed look at Nobaru. "I am not your lover," he hissed in annoyance, "and there, I said it for you."

Tenten tilted her head to the side. "A...ninja?" She gave Nobaru a bored look. "You know, I'm not surprised. I can't even do the most basic ninjutsu." She thought of Lee and Naruto. Lee who could not use ninjutsu at all, and Naruto who had, according to Sakura struggled with a good deal of it in the academy. "I was so bad they didn't even let me try genjutsu, and taijutsu was more a joke for me, I can dance, and that's about it. I understand it's your job to be suspicious of people, but I think you're a little off this time."

He shrugged. "You can think whatever you want then, and I'll think whatever I want. Deal?" Nobaru's features were set calmly, as though he just brushed it off, but they could all feel the downright murderous spike to his chakra.

"You weren't exactly subtle about it." Tenten said quietly, leaning back against Neji. She didn't like the feel of Nobaru's chakra. "Even Tsubasa thought that was what was going on." Her voice took on a mildly bitter tone. "He's blind, not an idiot."

"As lovely as it's been, I believe it's time for us to be heading home. Thank you for the dinner Taiki, Nobaru." Neji spat the last name out, bringing Tenten to her feet. There was something a little too uncomfortable about the feel of Nobaru's chakra even by his standards. He didn't want Tenten exposed to it for too long, incase she had a reaction like she did to Haru's. "If you'll excuse us." Neji all but dragged Tenten out of the restaurant, like he wasn't going to explain to his civilian wife what the hurry was.

Taiki also stood. "I'm taking this to the Raikage, I'm getting you moved off their investigation. He's scheduled to be instated in a week, their observation period ends this week. You've had your time to build a case against them, and all you have is a 'gut feeling' with no proof. The Raikage will want this to end."

"Do what you want Taiki, you've been doing enough as it is." Nobaru frowned, glaring at the other. "You revealed classified information to Tsubasa and Amaya with that little stunt you just pulled. I don't care how desperate we are for skilled ninja, I'm not going to let outsiders and potential spies waltz in here with nothing more then a few laughable jounin tests. They've only been here a handful of months. You're too eager to trust Taiki."

"They're orders from above." He answered slamming down a small scroll on the table. "These are orders from the Raikage's advisors, we can't be wasting our time when, in the time you've had, you've failed to come up with anything against them. Your job is to investigate people, my job is to protect them from a country with a habit of blurring the very clear line between right and wrong. If you don't like the orders I've received, take it up with the Raikage's advisors who believe you're becoming obsessed with this. Your entire team thinks you are as well."

"Just remember why we blur the line Taiki, why we're doing what we do. History has a bad habit of repeating itself, and this is just the Yusuge massacre all over again. Our country has been crippled in the past because of our lax attitudes and our inability to learn from the past. I am not obsessed because I refuse to ignore my suspicions. I've stayed within my parameters every time my leash was tightened on this case. You're the ones who insist I'm taking it too far."

"There are more important matters that you've let slide worrying about them." He set down a few reports in a folder. Reports of a researcher going insane, reports of test subjects dying, reports of the boy being held in solitary killing one of his guards without being let out of his cell. "You're needed elsewhere. There are those who were threats in our own country we did not see, and never saw. You're one of the best at what you do, and I don't know who in those shelters I can trust. I know one of them is not who they say they are, I just don't know which one."

"Don't try to placate me." Nobaru snatched the scroll away. "I'll take your missions. I will be digging deeper. Don't worry, I won't do anything to make the elders raise their wrinkled brows or make poor little Amaya uncomfortable. I am going to check my sources to see what their real past is."

* * *

Clear across the village, Tenten shut the door behind them when Neji pulled them into the basement. She practically fell down the stairs after him and pulled him to a stop. She turned him around to face her and carefully pushed the bandages up from his eyes. "You felt it too then..." She said simply. It was the same suffocating, murderous feel Haru's chakra had.

Neji nodded. "He had the same chakra as Haru. It felt familiar though, not just to Haru's." The chakra had a distinctly Uchiha feel to it, despite his best efforts to deny it. Neji rubbed his chin. "He's a little too suspicious for my liking, thankfully he seems to be the only one."

"Suspicious? Neji, he knows." Neji wasn't panicked, he was clearly concerned, but not frightened. She was frightened. "You know, I'm really glad now that the Sand is in on this too, because we're going to need all the backup on our life stories as we can get. He knows Neji." She said quietly before turning away and pacing the room.

"After an outburst like that, he'll be reassigned." Neji grasped her shoulders. He held her still and made her look in his eyes. "It will be fine. Everyone thinks he's crazy. We're safe Tenten. We're perfectly safe."

"We are not safe! Look around you! We're in a country we're working on peace negotiations with, that's secretly conducting genetic research based on Orochimaru's research! This is not 'safe' Neji!" She focused on his eyes. They were always so calm. How did he always look so damn calm? She felt tears form in her eyes. "We're not safe." She repeated.

"We'll be fine Tenten. We have the advantage. We know more about them then they do us. If push comes to shove, we can leave. The only thing that we have here is your demon fluff. They're too desperate for more nin. It's making them careless. Nobaru is our only threat for now, and at the rate he's going, he won't be a problem for us much longer."

His words were not assuaging her fears as they normally did. "He was mad at Taiki, but all that murderous intent, you felt it, it was directed at me. No one else in that room, just me." She had so many assassination missions, that being confronted with murderous intent, was rare. Assassins were meant to be undetected, it was hard to feel murderous intent in targets that had no idea they were marked for death.

"He can't touch you. He has no proof, so much as injuring you would be an act of treason, and he's too loyal to his country to do that." He sighed and drew her into his arms. "Don't worry Tenten. When it comes down to it, I won't let him hurt you."

She gripped his shirt tightly and let him hold her. "You're really not afraid of anything, are you?" She asked him quietly. She forced herself to not cry, and she tried to calm herself.

"There's a difference between being afraid and feeling fear." He pet her hair lightly and prayed with every fiber of his being, that she didn't start crying. "I am fearful now Tenten, but I'm not letting it consume me. You just have to feel the fear and move past it."

"I just can't shake the feeling-" She paused and glanced down at the kitten pawing at her leg lightly. Lee had always said that animals could tell when their owners were distraught. "I can't shake the feeling that we really might not make it out of here. Konoha didn't have any idea they'd completed enough to start testing on their own ninja. We're in well beyond what anyone could have imagined." She looked back at him and found him still calm. His eyes brought the smallest smile to her lips. "I'd kill for us to have never landed this mission, but since we got so unlucky, I'm glad I'm stuck here with you."

He nodded. "If it had been anyone else, cover would have been blown long ago." He took Tenten to the pile of pillows. He sat down and pulled her down with him, his fingers continued to run gently through her hair. He wasn't good expressing himself verbally and found that the best way to calm Tenten when she was distraught was physical contact.

"I've done missions like this, on a significantly smaller scale." She confessed. "I was hired a few times for co-op missions with the Sand, I had to pretend I was Kankuro's fiancé one time." She leaned closer to Neji. "It's a miracle we got that mission done. He was so nervous the whole time, he stood out like Lee's or Naruto's clothing against a strict dress code of white or black." It made her laugh slightly, and that did calm her a bit. "I've actually been on a lot of missions like this, no where near as important, B-Rank tops...no national security on the line...no war looming overhead if the mission failed."

"At this point, there may be a war even if we succeed." Neji muttered. "I want to find out how much success they've had with this. Nobaru and Haru might just be the exceptions. They've more than likely had more horrible failures than successes."

She nodded in agreement, but warned him quietly to be careful. "You still don't really miss home much, do you?" She glanced up at him from where her head rested against his chest.

"I miss the lack of dry shoes." He admitted. "Aside from that and the people, life here isn't much different than life in Konoha."

"You never told me it felt like this." She whispered with more than a twinge of guilt in her voice. He never once truly complained about the lack of freedom, or the constant frustration of being controlled. Every so often she could get him to talk about it, and every so often he willfully admitted his frustrations. She closed her eyes and bit her lip. "I used to think I was the only one who really understood how you felt sometimes, just because I knew you so well. I guess now, I really do get it..."

He shrugged, "It really isn't that much different. I will admit, here there are even more limits to my free will than in Konoha, and the company is far from preferred. However, you have to learn to push the bad to the side, and focus on the positive."

Tenten remained silent. There was a positive end to being inside enemy territory, with a pair of obscenely powerful jounin, and a chuunin who probably should have been a jounin? "Aren't you optimistic...." She muttered.

Neji snorted. "I'd hardly call focusing on positive aspects of one's miserable life optimism." He told her as he continued to run his hand gently through her hair, and his other hand continued to shove the kitten off him.

"Has it all been miserable?" She felt the cat climb across her back and up her shoulders. There was a slight prick of claws on her shoulders that made her smirk a bit. She could feel the cat swatting at Neji's hand.

"Not all of it." Neji admitted, waving his hand at the kitten and keeping his fingers just out of reach. He was not playing with the kitten, he was merely waving it away and carefully avoiding cuts from the creature's tiny, but very sharp claws.

"Stop teasing the cat..." She muttered into his shirt with a smile. She could feel the kitten trying to balance on her back to catch Neji's hand the moment he was distracted.

"I'm not teasing it." Neji frowned, looking almost offended at the suggestion. "That would imply I care enough about it to care about its reaction to my actions." He was almost oblivious to the cat catching his hand at last and licking his fingers.

"Yeah," she laugh softly, "and it's kind of cute." She hoped Neji wouldn't make her move too much. "Like when I found out you actually knew the summer festival dances." She poked him lightly. That had actually been cute. He had defended himself intelligently. Just because he didn't dance, didn't mean he didn't watch. "I think you with the kitten is a bit more adorable though."

"I fail to see the adorable factor of me pushing away hell spawn." Neji frowned, dropping his hand away from the kitten completely

Tenten didn't answer, she remained silent and continued to smile. The kitten was clearly annoyed by Neji ignoring him, and crept down her back and onto the floor to find some other way to pester him. "Don't worry about it..." She said before pulling away from him slowly. "Thanks, for uh, well you know..." She drifted off.

"Keeping Nobaru from murdering you?" He smiled, a small reassuring one, before he leaned back and relaxed against the pile of pillows. "We need to start sleeping in our bed again soon."

Tenten blushed slightly but shook her head lightly to force it away. "Yeah I guess, another night down here wouldn't hurt though. Right?" She looked at him hopefully.

He sighed and rolled his eyes behind the bandages. "You haven't tried using puppy eyes like that since we were chuunin." He told her while a hand reached over to grab one of the thick blankets.

Her smile turned into an almost wicked smirk. "It still works on you..."

"For goodness sakes, it does not. I simply don't feel like arguing with you tonight."

"Deny it all you want." She covered her mouth to cover her laughter when the kitten pounced onto his arm. Sleeping in 'their' bed again wouldn't be all that bad. That was what he called wasn't it? She shook her head again. Her mind was fuzzy enough in her sleep.

Annoyed, Neji flicked his hair tie across the room. Ryuu scampered away after the thing, and he turned onto his side. "Stupid Fuzz ball." Neji muttered, the barest hint of a yawn in his voice.

"He is not stupid." Tenten reached behind his head and started to remove the bandages, even the ones he wore to cover the mark on his forehead. Neji's slight frown deepened when Tenten removed them, her fingers barely brushed across the mark on his forehead, but it caused his breath to catch in his throat. A part of him was unsure if he was comfortable with her touching something so personal, so intimate. "You do like him more than you let on," she continued, "you gave him something to play with after all." After discarding the bandages she nodded to her dress. "So are you gonna get me out of this thing or what?"

"I can't undress you if you're lying down like that."

Tenten promptly sat up, turned her back to him and waited, her cheeks a faint shade of red. He could undress her lying down any time he wanted. _Oh bad, it's way too early in the night for this, he's not even asleep yet for crying out loud!_ Her eyes drifted to the kitten swatting the tie around the room.

Neji undid the ties of the dress, loosening it enough for Tenten to wiggle out of it on her own. His fingers brushed only lightly against the bare skin of her neck before he turned away. "There." He said. "You can take it off yourself."

"Thanks. I just can't reach that part of the back." She did squirm out of it slowly. "Think anyone noticed?" She tried not to laugh at herself even as she felt his eyes focusing on her. Beneath her rather form fitting dress, she had managed to conceal the tank top and shorts that she wore.

"No, they didn't notice. How did you learn to hide regular clothing under things like that anyways?" He took the dress from her when she fully removed it, and tossed it across the room, it crumpled to the ground along with a collection of other articles of clothing that had piled up.

"Oh, you think that's all I've ever had to hide?" She slid a hand under her tank top, right against her stomach, and pulled out a pair of kunai. She spun each one on a finger before flipping them into the air and catching them with ease. "Come on Neji, I kill for a living, I have to hide weapons. Hiding clothes under a dress, is a piece of cake by comparison."

Neji's face colored briefly. "Good night Tenten." He said quickly after turning away from her. He did not blush, not obviously, and he would not let her see it happen.

She threw the kunai against the wall and flopped down beside him. She threw an arm around his waist and hugged him. "Thank you, Neji. I mean really, thank you, for earlier." She rested her head against his back. "Not just for at dinner-" she said quickly. "here too, for calming me down."

"We're partners Tenten. It's what we do," He answered, his own hand rested over one of hers. "Now go to sleep." She didn't need to be told twice, she was asleep within minutes, completely unaware of anything, even the kitten trying to worm his way between her hand and Neji. "Stupid fur ball." Neji repeated as he lifted the cat and dropped it on the floor. He shifted carefully onto his back, making sure to keep Tenten from being squished, while still keeping her close. He let her hand remain across his stomach as she slept peacefully. At least she could, he sighed and stared at the ceiling while contemplating all the things she had said earlier. His pale eyes slid shut only for a moment as he released a deep breath. _We really are in deep._

* * *

AN: Whoa long chappie. Hope you guys handled it well, next one is super long too. Oh noes long chapters!!! Don't get too comfy with em, they're a pain in the ass to edit!! Next chapter will be uh…well if it's not up in two weeks, that means I'm STILL editing it! Because it is sooo written. It's just…well…long. I gotta edit out all of our OOC comments that we occasionally spam the RP with. Hehe.

The below is an idea of what we do…what we really do when you think we're working hard.

Kigen: "I didn't even do anything." Nobaru defended. Was it that hard to believe his leg itched?

Faraway Dawn: ( XD yes )

Kigen: ( his groping would be less obvious, like a ninja!)

Till next time!~


	22. Chapter 22

**Disillusioned**

By: Faraway Dawn & Kigen

**Chapter 22**

As expected, one week later, Taiki and Nobaru stood before the Raikage. "I did as I was ordered." The chuunin explained. "It's no secret how Nobaru has felt about Tsubasa's wife. Half the village knew exactly what he thought, and they sure as hell were not our ninja. It's not classified information when everyone knows about it." Taiki argued, noting the light nod of his Raikage's head. "This has gotten out of hand, there is without a doubt an intruder in this village, the dead ANBU guard is a sign that there is someone." He shot an annoyed glare at Nobaru. "Haru was watching Amaya with the women, and we were speaking to Tsubasa when the event occurred. Clearly, someone else has slipped by Nobaru's incredible deductive methods." He looked desperately at the Raikage and his advisors. "Tsubasa will still be monitored before he's allowed to get too deep in the village. For now, we're asking that Nobaru be moved somewhere more appropriate, where he's needed."

Lightning flashed outside the windows of the Raikage's office and an ominous rumble of thunder was not far behind it. It was autumn and the storms were more vicious than ever. There was often a deafening howl of wind that would rip through the high mountains, creating a sound more like a wail than a gust of wind, and it could be heard even in the office. The weather of the early autumn did nothing to ease the tension in the room.

Nobaru was still pissed. His aura radiated sheer annoyance and murderous intent. "Raikage-sama, I believe that there is a spy, an intruder in our village besides Amaya, and the possibility of Tsubasa. While I will admit that my attention is needed elsewhere, I also wish to stress my record. Despite my lack of physical proof, I still believe them to be a threat." He pleaded his case as rationally as he could, well aware that in is continued anger, he sounded more out of touch than he would have liked. "For now, I will agree to focusing on this other intruder, but I shall be tapping into my other resources to see if anything can be found out about the Takimuras. I will not make it known publicly, and I will not 'harass' them as Taiki so eloquently puts it. I do however, implore you Raikage-sama, keep an eye on them. As a jounin, Tsubasa is allowed more and more access to this village and its secrets, I do not trust them and that is still reason enough to warrant caution."

"Caution is fine, but I do not want him to be able to continue an investigation. He had his time, this has gone far enough. Your advisors agree, his own team agrees that this is going too far in too dangerous a time. This season has been horrible, and it's just going to get worse. It's autumn, winter is just around the corner. The storms get worse in the fall!" Taiki argued. "That boy from the lower villages murdered our people, he is responsible for the death of Haru's sister. He slipped in, but I doubt he did it alone. The Takimuras can be monitored by others, but Nobaru's squad needs to get back to their real security work, before something worse happens." Taiki's aura was dangerously close to matching Nobaru's, but like any good former medic, he suppressed it. No one needed to know he was furious about the extent to which the whole ordeal had carried on.

"As I said, I will be more than happy to divert my attentions elsewhere as long as the Takimuras are still kept an eye on. Our country has worked too hard for too long to get this strong and be destroyed by someone who wasn't taken seriously as a threat." Where they not listening to his words? He had admitted to neglecting his work elsewhere. Nobaru felt as though they wanted him to say he thought Tsubasa and his she-harpy of a wife innocent of all sin! "I'm not saying they are the only threat, just that they are still a possible threat. Stop twisting my words, Taiki."

"He can not be allowed to run his own investigation! Acting against the direct orders of Raikage-sama's advisors is considered treason. The order has already been given to remove the watch on them directly. We have eyes everywhere in this village, making sure they're not doing anything suspicious is easy enough without invading their privacy." Taiki crossed his arms. "You said as a chuunin that it was not your place to question your orders, so stop doing it."

"I am doing nothing more then a thorough background search, trust me, my sources will be telling me how many people she's killed, not what color panties she wears. I will not be spying on them, harassing them, hell, I won't even be speaking to them. Also Taiki, while the elders may be giving me orders, it is my responsibility as the head of this country's security to question actions I believe are dangerous, and making my concerns known. Something we should be questioning you on, seeing as how you informed Amaya of my suspicions last night when it was unnecessary."

"I ordered him to." One of the advisors answered. "He followed my orders, as I requested. I've known for a long time about the unstable reaction you and Haru have been suffering. Your chakra runs out of control at times, Taiki is the only one not showing symptoms from the enhancements. We believe it has been affecting your judgment." An old woman answered, while the other pair nodded. "Just like Haru has been ordered time off his duties, you are treading closely behind him. Even now you can not control your anger, and it is making your chakra slip out of your control."

"Are none of you listening to me? I said I will back off. I said I would work elsewhere. All I'm doing is suggesting caution and performing a background check that should have been preformed months ago." Nobaru grit out, growing more and more frustrated. "My personal feelings are not being placed in the equation anymore."

"Background checks were already preformed, Nobaru. Several in fact." An old man on the other side of the Raikage answered. "ANBU was given orders to investigate both of them thoroughly. Are you suggesting that they did not do their job adequately?" The old man was in charge of the Cloud Village's ANBU, and was not pleased with the insinuation that there had not been enough done.

"I have access to networks that your ANBU don't." Nobaru said. "I am stepping back from the assignment. There is no reason to keep this conversation going any longer."

The old man smirked confidently, Nobaru had always been a handful, and the only reason he wasn't ANBU himself, was that he questioned his superiors often. The old man thought it a waste, but was pleased that he wasn't the one directly in control of Nobaru. He would be a liability with his nature and 'gut' feelings. "Then you'll be reporting to security work in the shelters. Taiki is certain, that my people have made an error in our checks...and allowed an imposter of high rank to slip into this village." The old man narrowed his eyes at the chuunin. "He believes it was before he was placed in immigration that this, person arrived, so he does not know who it may be. Nobaru, you perhaps can put your other sources to good use. If one of the village jounin is not who they say they are, that have deep access to this village..."

Taiki narrowed his eyes when the old man trailed off. The message was clear. An ANBU guard had already been taken out, and the person probably was connected to the boy in solitary. "I don't think either of us need reminding." Taiki said coolly. The old man from ANBU had clearly slipped up, and was going to peg responsibility on those lower than him.

"They won't last long while I'm looking." Nobaru assured the entire room. "Though, it'll be difficult with him being in as deep as he is. The longer one is acting, the more people believe the act. It would have been a lot easier though, if people did their jobs rather than just call me in for clean up." He smirked.

"It's always been us cleaning up for senile old men who should just quit while they're ahead." Taiki muttered in agreement, earning him a reproachful look from both the Raikage and the old woman, and a irritated glare from the old man.

"That's what happens to the old. They get stubborn and cocky and forget to take caution." The rage Nobaru felt started to ebb a bit. "Don't worry though, that's why I'm here." He turned, leaving the room without formal dismissal, barking orders on the way out for reports and documentation.

"I'll be going as well." Taiki said with a light bow before turning to follow Nobaru. "We have a security issue on our hands."

"Several." Nobaru corrected loudly over his shoulder while thumbing through a folder that a nin had handed to him. The pair walked away, leaving the meeting to watch after them in silence.

Days had a habit of passing rapidly, when one was in charge of a room full of misbehaved children. Neji had heard that Nobaru was removed from his previous assignment the previous week, and was now moved onto something Taiki couldn't discuss, but even his chuunin assistant knew about it. Sadly, so did the children. Getting them to pay attention to class was more work than he had bargained for. Neji opened the door to their home, his eyes twitched slightly behind the bandages. "I'm home." He muttered, frustrated. It was all the children- the stupid, irritating, obnoxious, and far too energetic children. He tugged off his heavier cloak that had been given to him along with a jounin uniform. It was about the only article of clothing, that adequately kept out the persistent rain.

Tenten only half heard him. She poked her head up from the water of her bath and glanced at the open bathroom door. Classic, just classic, he was home exactly on time, and she had lost track of time. _Ugh...Classic_. "How was...work?" She called. She could hear the irritated way he had announced being home and could imagine the expression in his eyes, hidden beneath the bandages. The house was spotless when he got home, after cleaning she had spent about two hours out of her days with Karou talking about nothing in particular, and the one hour she reserved for relaxation was always interrupted. It had been that way every day for about two weeks..._Gods how bad are the kids anyway?_

"I'm surprised the kids haven't killed themselves. My god Amaya, it's like having half a dozen variations of Naruto, with a few normal kids." He grumbled, running a hand through his hair. "And they still don't understand, that though I'm blind, I do know when they're making faces at me."

"And to think you want to create another for that tally." She ducked her head underwater to contain her laughter. If Neji ever produced a child that acted like Naruto, he'd probably hang himself. Fond though he was of Naruto, and though he respected him, raising a Naruto would be Neji's worst nightmare.

"Ours wouldn't be like that." Neji vowed. There was no way anything with his DNA would be like that. "I think this is some sort of cruel test. See who has enough mental strength and stamina to be ANBU."

Again she poked her head up above the water. He was right, 'theirs' wouldn't be a thing like that. On the freak chance they ever could possibly have a child, there were tons of factors working against having a child like Naruto. _I'm way too smart, and Neji's way too disciplined_. "I think you're just overreacting, they're kids, they grow out of it." She tried to be supportive, knowing full well that some people just didn't grow out of it.

"Tell that to Naruto, or Kiba for that matter." He frowned. "Today, Izumi tried to blow up half the class with a simple water jutsu. I can't even begin to understand how she created fire while trying to perform a water jutsu. Then there's Kaname, who doesn't understand that just because I am blind, I still know when he's cheating on his tests."

"Hey, you want to talk bad days, I've got more than you can handle." She called back, hoping that if he came into the bathroom to hear what she had to say, he had the decency to keep his back to the tub. She tried not to laugh though. The kids were a handful from the way he complained about them.

"At least you don't need to listen to a child trying to argue that their battle scenario would work, because he's under the impression he can pull out high level jutsu that even the Kages would probably die trying to use."

Tenten rolled her eyes. They had agreed she would go out twice a week for that month, at night for two hours. In that two hours she would do recon work while he continued to map out buildings for her to look into. "At least you didn't have to listen to a two hour conversation about jock itch." She mumbled.

"How do you manage to talk about jock itch for two hours?" He asked slowly after a considerable pause.

"They're guys. Guys can talk about stupid things for days if you let them." Tenten answered, draining her bath and drying off. She sat on the side of the tub and told him that he could come in if he wanted. Neji entered, bandages still covering his eyes, and completely oblivious Tenten's nudity.

"You have no idea how badly I want to switch with you right now." He was never patient with children, he detested them really. He would have given almost anything to be in Tenten's shoes at their present time.

"You honestly think jock itch and who got laid last night is the lesser of two evils?" She knew he was being his saintly self, his byakugan inactive and his eyes were covered, so she dried herself off, mentally cursing him for being so damned honorable.

"For four hours a week- I have to deal with this for more than eight hours every day." Neji shook his head, "Besides, you hear worse than that in the locker rooms at school."

"Can't be any worse than what I heard in school." She mumbled running a towel through her hair. "Try me. I've got more horror stories than you can dream of."

"... Naruto and Sasuke's sex life, in vivid detail."

"Been there done that." She countered calmly. "I had to listen to Hinata describe everything that happens in their bedroom, in byakugan vivid detail. You know, I always thought her kinda prudish, but clearly, she's more open about things like that than you."

"Gai's version of the birds and the bees for homosexuals." Gai had given them all 'the talk' long after they had learned about such things. For whatever reason though, Gai had taken him and Lee aside for another talk, just in case.

"Ino's version for girls was more disturbing, I'm sure." Tenten answered quietly while watching him.

"Even when Lee asks Gai what the point of flavored lubricants is?"

"He couldn't figure that out by process of elimination?"

"Lee is innocent as driven snow." Neji explained. "He needed everything explained to him."

"But you didn't because you're so much more experienced there?" Tenten prodded.

"I at least have a knowledge of such things." Neji frowned. Aside from Tenten, his experience went no further than the kissing practice from his school days, and a few low key things from a few missions.

"Yeah, well at the rate things are going now, you're gonna be sorely out of practice when we get home. We haven't been forced to make out like rabid bunnies for...oh a few weeks? Since you started maybe?" Tenten offered.

"I can blame the children on the lack of libido." Neji took the robe off of the door and handed it to Tenten; fully aware that only a towel was covering her still slightly damp body.

"I can see that." She smiled slightly. "Thanks." When the robe was secure she pushed up the offending bandages covering his eyes. "So other than the children from hell, how was your day?" She asked him the same question every day, she always received slightly different answers though, so she enjoyed asking it.

"Not too bad. Aside from occasional death threats yelled across the classroom and annoying arguments; it's mostly just the paperwork my assistant does and lecturing."

She combed through her hair while he recounted most of the seemingly dull day. "Anything new I should know about?" She asked quietly while watching his expression in the mirror. It was hard to read. He appeared calm as usual, but looked somewhat distracted, as though only half of what she said got through to him. "Neji?" She asked quietly to snap him out of whatever daze he was in.

"There's been rumors of serious security leaks, another ANBU was killed last week. It has everyone on edge and security has been upped again. The files we took have been noticed, it's being blamed on whoever is taking out the ANBU members."

"We're way too lucky." Tenten muttered. "Another one dead huh? I bet Nobaru is getting annoyed." She said while starting to comb through the other half of her hair. "Guess I'll be more careful next week. I'd rather not wind up dead just listening in for any useful information."

"Taiki mentioned to me that this is the longest a mole's been know to be working without being caught. Everyone's annoyed and on edge." He walked to the bedroom, pulling out of his uniform as he spoke.

She leaned slightly to the side to catch a faint glimpse of him in the bedroom. She could see him still in the reflection of the mirror at the angle she stood at. "How long do-" Off came the shirt and she allowed herself to enjoy the view for a few seconds. "does Taiki think they've been in the village?"

"A few years. They believe whoever it was immigrated before Taiki worked in the office; as well as before Nobaru started working in security or whatever it is he does." Tenten leaned against the bathroom doorway and stared into the bedroom.

"So basically, someone more skilled than us is here." She said quietly. "And they're getting away with murder, while we can barely get away with day to day life."

"People have stopped taking us as a serious threat at least. We're only still being watched as closely as we are only because of Nobaru's paranoia. Compared to before, this is nothing, they're mostly watching me at the academy."

"I guess." She shrugged. "So, are you glad it's almost the weekend?" She smirked. She never thought she'd see the day that Neji was thrilled to have a few days off.

"Ecstatic, anything to keep away from that hell hole." The students were not all that bad, there were some even that he enjoyed, due to their ability to argue rationally and present real solutions to his challenges. The majority however, had him counting down the hours until he was free of them.

"They can't really all be that bad." She suggested, taking a seat on the bed. It was only late afternoon, he'd probably start cooking soon, but they usually talked before he did. In fact, she counted that by the last two weeks, he talked more than he usually did in an entire month. "You said you have a few that you enjoy, you said you had a pair of very intelligent ones." She pet Ryuu who had grown quite quickly in the short amount of time he had been with them. Though still a kitten, he was much stronger, and was finally burning through his kitten energy.

"Two friends. They both have excellent knowledge, memory skills, practical skills, and what one lack the other makes up for. The only problem is trying to make them work with other people. They're too reliant on each other to ever do any good as anything but partners."

Tenten leaned back on the bed. "Let me guess, a boy and a girl?"

"No. Two girls. Mother and father of each were teammates in their day though. It shows in what they've learned from their families that the two families have been working together for quite some time."

"Good because if it were a boy and a girl I'd say that hits a bit too close to home." She traced a few lines across their blanket. "Just a little too close..."

"I plan on breaking them of that habit. They'll undoubtedly become a strong, reliable team, but if they don't learn to work with others now, they'll be useless when they're finally split up in the future."

"They'll be split up eventually anyway." All the villages had a standard team setup, and the Cloud were no exception. "Eventually they'll be split up into their genin squads, two males, and one female."

Neji shook his head. "The number of female students is nearly the same as male. about a third of the teams will end up with two girls this year, it also seems traditional that the two families get paired together."

"Interesting." She couldn't help but think as a child, that it would be nice. What girl wouldn't mind more girls their age, maybe one that she had something in common with even? "I can't imagine what it would be like to be around so many girls." Finally it tugged a smile from her lips. "I bet they all have a crush on you...Tsubasa-sensei." She teased with a chuckle.

He rolled his eyes. "I'm old enough to have fathered them." True, he would have had to have started early to father them, but the fact remained that he was old enough to be their father. "I don't understand why girls always have to have crushes on those older than them."

"Ever heard the phrase 'all girls marry their fathers' or something like that?" Tenten offered. "You're handsome, you're smart, and girls love that, at any age."

"I'm also much older and happily married." Neji said, shrugging a new shirt on. "If they focus more on their work and less on my ass, they would all learn much better."

Tenten only heard half of what he said. "Huh?" Her eyes snapped back up to his face.

"They whisper loudly." Neji said. "I wonder if they think me blind and deaf."

"Your kids say you have a cute butt?" Tenten bit back her note of jealousy.

"The exact words were 'an ass so hot, you could fry eggs on it' I believe." Neji shook his head, and couldn't help but chuckle a little. "Now I know what Iruka means when he goes on about kids."

Tenten's cheeks turned red. "I'm going to need to have words with their parents..." Tenten muttered with continued embarrassment. Although her thoughts were along the same lines, several times in life, no seven year old should have been thinking that about her partner!

"It's the words of children Tenten." Neji gave her a look. "Their comments on my behind are the last thing I plan on talking with them about."

"I'm not a child, you do have a nice ass." She shrugged. "I agree with them, I just plan to have words with their parents about it."

"What happened to 'all girls marry their fathers' and 'girls love that at their age' hm?" He asked, slightly amused but the faint hint of jealousy he could detect in her.

Tenten merely shrugged. She had a bad feeling she was in for weeks of information like that. "I didn't really check out any of the guys older than us, especially any instructors."

"You didn't, but Hinata said that Ino and Sakura did. In our class, most of the girls did."

"Psh yeah I know. I think a few of them fawned over Kakashi for a few years. At least, a lot of girls in our class did. A few girls in our class thought your uncle was a stud too."

"Ugh." Neji shuddered and went back to changing his pants.

"Naturally they assumed you'd wind up an attractive adult and, then you were the target of every girl in the class. I know girls fawned over Itachi too, so I imagine that's why Sasuke got so much attention from the girls in his class."

"Being the sole heir to the Uchiha clan and having the dark brooding genius thing going on didn't hurt either." He was also targeted for being a Hyuuga so close to the main line; though most of his classmates didn't know what it entailed. Tenten was quite accurate, most of the girls who had been interested in him were interested in his intelligence and looks.

Tenten had to force her eyes off his backside a few times while he changed. "Yeah…oh yeah...that helps sure...yeah." She agreed, her thoughts far too scattered.

"Lose your train of thought?" Neji turned to her. "Don't tell me you had a crush on him back then too."

"He was kinda cute." She admitted. "No though, not my type, too-" Too arrogant was her first thought, _Neji was pretty damn arrogant too. _"...jerky?" She offered.

"I recall you calling me a jerk in the beginning as well." He was certain he had lost count of the amount of times he had been called a jerk by her.

"Uh...well yeah you were, especially to me at first." She explained she thought it odd, because as classmates he had always been nice to her. When they had been paired off on their genin teams though, he was a jerk to her for a few weeks. "What's your point?"

"Who says I have a point?" His eyes watched the movement of hers, she was acting strangely, her head was in the clouds. What did it matter to her what the kids said about him anyway?

"Never mind." She said quickly, she turned on her side and pulled a pillow over her head.

"Okay." Neji finished dressing and walked towards the kitchen. "I'm going to start dinner."

Every night for a week had been like that. Every night he'd talk about the kids, every night they'd have said something that would get her thinking. She looked at the windows, almost missing their constant visitors. _At least I got to kiss him when they were around. _"Dinner?" She asked snapping out of her daze and hurrying into the kitchen.

"Yes, dinner. Your head is in the clouds today, Amaya." Neji said as he brought out the cutting board and knives.

"There were some problems last night..." She had gone out the previous night, and wasn't supposed to go out again till next week. "A few of them, I guess I can tell you later though." She took care of the food preparation knowing, that she would always do it faster than him. She saw him lightly roll his eyes at her, teasing her pride at being able to handle knives better than him.

"You might as well tell me now. It'll take a while to cook, and no one is around."

"I finished exploring that one building you mapped out last week, now we know where their ANBU office is. Security there was obscene but I could still get around it. Great choice by the way, on which building to send me into." She lightly elbowed him. "Neji, I think I was there the day the guy was killed. Someone else was in that place, someone I couldn't see, but I could damn well feel."

Her words immediately captured his attention. "What was it that you felt?" They could use the spy to their own advantage, so long as the spy wasn't on to them.

"Well suppressed chakra, not as well done as mine, but still pretty good. Someone used genjutsu, I could feel the stray chakra. I just don't know what they did. There were muffled screams down the hall but, I assumed it was just someone being interrogated."

"From one source, or from multiple sources?" He watched her rapidly cut all the food up for him. What assassin would allow their target time to scream, especially in a situation that could cause their cover to be compromised so easily?

"It was muffled, I think I was very close by, because no one else heard it. Like when you put a cloth over someone's mouth and nose with a paralyzing agent. They always try to scream, but it comes out weakly."

"Whoever it was, was confident that they wouldn't be caught, and that they were completely alone." He said quietly while beginning to sauté the vegetables.

"I don't recognize the chakra, the way it feels, or anything about it." He didn't seem completely concerned. "Be careful will you?"

"I'll be fine Tenten. No one wants to bother with the blind teacher." He assured her as he cooked. _Whoever it is, they're not a threat to us now. As long as we don't cross paths, things should be fine. _He asked her to prepare tea, as usual.

"We'll see." She said quietly. "I'll be more careful like I said, just promise me you'll do the same."

"I will Amaya. Trust me when I say I am being careful." Ryuu pounced happily at Neji's feet while he cooked. The kitten disliked the amount of time his male owner was out of the house.

"Ryuu and I have been missing you in the house." She admitted while preparing tea.

"I'm sorry to leave you alone for so long." He carefully stepped over the cat, emptying the pan onto two plates. "Though, I would hope the cat keeps you company."

"He does." She leaned back on the counter while he put the food on their plates. "I miss when you're gone though. Village women aren't really my cup of tea."

"Too girly for you?" He asked while she poured them each tea.

"That and sometimes, you just get homesick." She nodded out the window. "No one here reminds me of home except you. Right down to the smell of your clothes."

"It's been several months since we arrived. It's normal to be homesick." He told her while she set the table. She reminded him endlessly of Konoha, even though he didn't admit it. It was always little things, the smell of her hair when she slept close to him, or the feel of her scrolls when he helped her replace her sharpened weapons. Doing simple things, such as helping her with her weapons still, made him think of the years they had done it. They'd sit on the ground after their sparring, he'd watch her clean each weapon and sharpen it, before she'd reseal it in her scrolls. Helping her, even in their basement made him think of the smell of the woods, and the feel of the evening sun in Konoha.

"I keep wondering how everyone is doing, if Lee asked Sakura yet, if Ino and Temari have come to blows yet, and I bet my mom misses us a lot." It was hard to believe at times, that they had been in the village for nearly a full six months. "Six months already..." Konoha in the early fall was fantastic. The leaves barely changed much till late fall, but there was a cooler, more steady breeze in the village. "I miss the smell of the village. On the breeze, you could smell the cooking from every shop in the village." She laughed softly. "Lee never could resist."

"It was hard enough keeping him from the other shops. Do you remember when that new curry shop opened up?"

"Hehe, yeah I remember." They attempted to pin Lee to the ground, to no avail. In the end it had required masterful teamwork, she had to trap him with wire, while Neji pinned him by sitting on him to keep their rambunctious teammate from sprinting to the shop and demanding a full course for all of them.

"At least this place has those horrid noodles you love so much." Neji pointed out, pushing the cat off the table once more. "Dinner is ready." In their six months in the cloud village, the two had yet to find a single restaurant that served food Neji preferred.

"Not much here is suited to your tastes." She smirked at him, that was why after all, he cooked most of the time. "Personally though, Konoha makes the noodles hotter. You're getting pretty good at making them though."

"Luckily for me though, I can make food that fits my tastes myself." He sat down and nudged Ryuu away. "I could make the noodles hotter, if I did though, I wouldn't be able to eat them." She sat across from him and smiled, for the first time she admitted that if he made them any more spicy, she probably would be unable to eat them as well. "So you have learned some sense then." He stated with a slight smirk at her admission.

"I know my limits." She said promptly, she marveled over how each night had felt the same. Different meals, different discussions but it all felt so identical. Routine, she told herself, they were back to a routine and she was having a hard time adjusting. "So, how long till the kids drive you insane?" Neji could never have been in charge of a three man genin squad. He severely lacked only one thing when it came to children. He greatly lacked patience. "I give you another month before you start saying total nonsense."

"I am not going to loose my mind to these children. I have suffered far worse torture than anything they can produce."

"I give it one more month of the random comments about your ass." She smirked eating calmly. "Good thing they haven't seen you in less." She was certain, even from children, the comments would be more and more obscene. "You realize some of them are probably having dreams about marrying you right?"

He wrinkled his nose. "That's disturbing. Why are girls so obsessed with love? It makes no sense when they should be focusing on becoming ninja. I swear, your lack of dreamy sighs was the only reason I tolerated being on a team with you in the beginning."

"Thanks, I think..." She smiled. She had been smart enough to keep her sighs to herself, or to mask them well enough for him to not notice. "Girls aren't so much obsessed with love, as the idea of finding someone that makes them happy, that they can also make happy." She glanced at the kitten on her lap, that was attempting to covertly eat the noodles she held in her chopsticks just a bit too high for him to reach. "It's not like I haven't thought about it, or about someone, I just kept it to myself. I had other goals that I needed to focus on, and dreams are just that, dreams."

"They are seven years old. They aren't even old enough to understand the concept of love yet. They have many more worthwhile things to focus on."

"Just because you don't understand the concept of love completely doesn't mean others don't." Ryuu entertained her as he jumped up and down on her lap, attempting desperately to get to her noodles again.

"I understand the concept and why people find it so appealing. While I admit my version of love differs from many, it does not mean I am a loveless person. However, what these children want is not love, but a person to have warm fuzzy feelings about. It serves no purpose but to make them happy. It's a fairy tale of love. The real emotion is much more complicated, painful, and can cause just as many tears as smiles." He looked away from her for a few moments. "It's the children who don't understand love, not me."

"Let them dream." She said quietly while entertaining the cat with the noodle it still simply could not reach, despite his finest attempts.

"I have no intention of crushing their dreams unless one of them asks me to marry them. Only then will I break the truth to them."

"Which truth? They already know you're 'married' they just don't care. What are you going to tell them then?" She tugged a noodle away just before the kitten caught it. She was only half listening at that point. She was focusing more on his previous statement, that love was complicated and painful, and could cause as much pain as it could joy.

"That I don't love them and have no intentions of being married to anyone. I'm not going to sugar coat it."

Tenten winced slightly. "Yeah, you're good at not sugar coating things." She set Ryuu down on the ground when he got a bit too close to catching the noodles and sighed.

He raised an eyebrow. "Do you want me to sugarcoat it and have an affair with a seven year old?"

"Of course not." She smiled weakly. "Unless you've suddenly become the next Orochimaru and haven't told me..."

"Please…" He muttered in response to her ridiculous comment. "I'm not sugarcoating it then. It does no one any good." He looked down at the kitten who pawed his leg. "No. If she doesn't give you any, then I surely will not be giving you my portion."

Each day passed in similar ways. Neji remained frequently frustrated, Tenten remained frequently bored, and the village continued life through the storm season as normally as they could. After a month, even Neji's assistant was mildly annoyed with the children. He was a young chuunin, but by no means foolish. He graded papers and assisted in minor ways, but the occasional growl of annoyance from him was always audible. "You know," he muttered one day to the jounin teaching the class, "if the girls would pay attention to what you're saying instead of drawing hearts on their tests, I have no doubt they'd be brilliant. As usual, only seven passing grades on this test." It was however, a remarkable improvement, by the entire village's standards. "A few of them are just below passing."

The chuunin informed Tsubasa that with a little more practice, the below passing grades could easily be passing ones, the students merely needed to make more effort.

"Maybe if we could find some sort of incentive for them." Neji suggested, rubbing his chin. The children were smart enough, skilled enough, but there was no real drive in them. "It's hard to train new ninja outside wartimes. There's no real incentive for them." Neji listened to the wind howling outside the classroom windows.

"We could always ship them out to the lower mountains, give them an idea of what it's like to live somewhere with minimal protection." The chuunin muttered. "We can't police the entire mountain range, and the lesser villages that refuse to cooperate with us aren't under our control, there's gangs, murders, the whole bit. Lots of them work as mercenaries. Course, the Raikage would never allow the kids to get a taste of that till they're genin." He shrugged. "Doesn't take much to start a war though, one of these days those thugs will start a civil war if we aren't careful."

"We've tried extra training and tutoring for those who need the most help, and while it is improving most, it isn't going nearly as quickly as it could." He sighed, and rubbed lightly at his temples. "Though, perhaps a wake up call would do them some good."

"We'd have to get the genin instructors to do it, I doubt your wife would want you going out to those places." The pair had noticed though, that the class had fallen strangely quiet during their discussion. "Oh, seems we caught their attention. I wonder if the Raikage would approve of such measures to ensure they learn why they are important to the village's future." A few more children, mostly the boys, perked up at this comment.

"Now now. We want to scare them, not kill them. Maybe break them into groups and send them on a field trip with some instructors. If they act there as they do with us, at least we won't have to deal with the stubborn ones anymore." He went on, ignoring the panicked gasps and whispers flooding the room.

"The stubborn ones won't come back alive..." The chuunin answered. A few of the better behaved children gasped and began whispering to each other. It was sad that sometimes teaching required they make the children nervous but..."I guess I could see if I could get them sent out in pairs maybe, with an actual genin squad, on real missions."

"Even just training with them, or simple recon would do them some good." Neji nodded, smiling a bit at their nervous whispers. "See what you can gather up for me. If this goes well, I plan on making this half of their final grade." Ah, and his classmates thought that their teachers had been cruel to them…

"I'll take care of it." The chuunin masked his smirk, at the panicked reaction of half the students upon hearing that half their final grade would be based on what their instructors were discussing. The male lowered his voice though. "You know, they'd have passed the first part of the chuunin exams. They're very good at listening in on conversations and gathering information."

"Only if it involves their safety or gossip though." Neji smiled back. "Once they're able to fully hear me mutter my obscenities about them will I be satisfied with their ability to spy on me

"I'm not sure they'd want to spy on you, the girls would be sorely disappointed if they ever saw your wife." Most of the village males, were of the agreement that Amaya was a real sight for sore eyes in their village. "Most of the women in the village would kill to look like her, and I doubt any of these young ladies would stand a chance against her. Even if she's not a ninja." For some reason, the idea that a woman who was not a ninja could beat them, fired the girls up. There were flickers of determination in some of them.

Neji groaned silently. "Please don't encourage that. I don't need any more love letters shoved into my desk at lunchtime."

The children, to his amusement went back to their work. "Does she know about those?"

"She's found more then a few. She actually find the behavior cute." He frowned, remembering how Tenten had read them, promptly burst out laughing and harassed him for days about it. Though he had to admit, her laughing on the bed with tears in her eyes from a rather potent laughing fit had made him smile a bit. It had been a particularly embarrassing letter.

"I bet she did." He finished correcting a few more papers, noting that there were some obvious attempts at cheating, which he quietly pointed out. The kids were getting better at hiding it, and in all honesty, as a ninja collecting information secretly was a skill that needed to be developed, but it was nowhere near as important as actually knowing most of the basics anyway.

"Mark any answers that make it obvious that they're cheating as wrong. Cheating's only allowed if they're good enough to get away with it." A lesson he had learned from his first Chuunin exams, cheating is always allowed, if you're good enough to get away with it. _One of the best ways to prove your effectiveness as a ninja is to accurately gather the correct answers, amidst a sea of incorrect ones._

"Not many on this one." The chuunin could tell they were stolen answers, they were worded identically to a test a few prior, but that could easily be coincidence he reminded himself. "Ren and Aya are getting better at hiding the fact that they cheat off each other." He looked towards the back of the room. A boy and girl that sat with another between them were quietly doing their work. "At least some of the class is learning something."

"IF it's close enough to be explained away by saying they studied together, let it go." Neji did allow them some leeway, they were still learning after all. "Get me a list of the student arranged by test scores, and one by skills. I think we're going to break them up into groups even if they don't go out with the genin."

The chuunin nodded and reminded Tsubasa that the kids had basic taijutsu instruction in a short period of time. "I'll have it done by the end of their taijutsu instruction." The kids were still floored by the fact that a blind man could effectively teach taijutsu, and it had taken nearly a month to explain to them, that just because one could not see, did not mean one could not anticipate attacks. "Is this something they did with your class in the Leaf? I heard they frequently group up the best students with some of the worst, and group others of similar skill types together."

"They tried to keep the genin teams even. The best would be placed with the worst, those who's families worked well together could be put together, and sometimes those with remarkable skills, such as tracking, would be put together. Since this is just to learn, I'm going to try putting them into groups with skills or knowledge that will compliment each other for now. I plan to change it frequently. I want them to master the basics together, before we decide who has more advanced skills that would compliment another's."

The chuunin nodded in agreement. The Raikage was right, Tsubasa was very intelligent, and by far one of the best instructors they could have hoped for. "We probably should have been doing this for a long time." He began working on organizing a list of the students and their abilities. He'd have to read off the list to Tsubasa, but it wasn't all that bad. "Their taijutsu instruction is in five minutes. It won't take me long to do this list." He told the jounin, that unfortunately, the list was less than impressive compared to previous years.

"Good, I can create the groups during their break period and put them with each other immediately." He paused a moment to think things through. "If you have time before the lesson is over, see if you can find any teams that their parents or relatives have been in together that worked well. I'd perfer to have a better feel for family mechanics and skills when deciding these groups."

"I'll take care of it." He answered. There were a few well known families that worked well together, and he picked them out quickly in the class. There were others that would rather spit fire at each other than look at each other, also easily picked out of the class.

The taijutsu lesson went as planned. There were those who advanced quickly and those who didn't seem to improve at all. He swore one girl got worse and worse every time he faced her. The class was slowly and steadily getting better for the most part though, and it helped satisfy him. He'd correct their stances when they were weak or flawed, he'd remind them that the power behind a punch does not begin in the hand itself, but in the shoulder, and he'd constantly tell off one of the boys who tried to pin a target to a friend's backside for others to kick at.

When the lesson ended, relief followed. The children received their break for lunch and he was able to confer with his assistant. "What have you come up with?"

His assistant give him a list of names. "They're the six highest scores in the class overall," he followed it up with another list of names. "and these are the six lowest." He recounted a pair of girls who were clearly more specialized in taijutsu, and a boy who was more skilled with ninjutsu and ranged combat. "These three have a history, their families do not like each other at all, but the kids seem to get along well." There were others who had close family ties, some were even family. "These pair are siblings, twins, the others I mentioned are a pair of cousins."

He nodded. "Good, thank you." He took a paper, scribbling the names. The paper was modified, the lines raised, so he could feel and write in straight lines. It had surprised his supervisors and his students at first. He reminded them that he had not been born blind, he remembered how to write, and although his handwriting had grown messier with time, it would be enough for his assistant to read.

"Since they'll just be studying basic knowledge for now, I'll separate the children into groups of two, one with high grades and one with lower grades." Peer teaching often worked well, the brightest students would be able to simplify things for the struggling students, in ways that an adult simply could not do. "I want you to watch though, and help those who are still struggling." _And I'm going to need you to stop any fights that I just know will break out. _He may have paired up a few children with clashing personalities, but he had learned from experience that having a rival often was more than enough motivation to work harder. Hadn't Lee grown only stronger by declaring him as his rival? Hadn't Naruto grown only stronger after declaring Sasuke his rival?

"I'll take care of it. When will these groups go into effect?" He asked reading over the notes. "I'm sure the Raikage will be interested to hear about it."

"As soon as they come back to class. You've finished correcting the tests, right?" He heard the affirmative. "They're going to go over the answers and explain to each other what was right and wrong and why. If they resist working together, those groups will be forced to do an assignment together."

"Peer teaching...interesting method. It was never done much here, the older generation underestimates the ability of children to teach each other."

He shook his head. "It's not the best method for direct teaching, but it works well as a studying tool. People learn differently, and this lets it come from multiple sources. It reinforces the knowledge for many of them."

"You paired Ren and Aya together..." He quirked a brow. The pair was well known for working well together in class, even when they weren't supposed to be. "...with the absolute worst in the class..." The boy the clever pair had been grouped with, was just a few marks short of useless. "I'll be amazed if he graduates at all." The odd number of students in the class had left a single group with three. Two of the best students, with undeniably the worst.

"Some are late bloomers. I know of a ninja in Konoha who got even worse grades, he didn't pass until he had taken the genin exam several times. His classmates were all chuunin while he remained a genin for years. Now, he's a high ranking jounin with possibility on becoming Hokage in the future."

"Uzumaki Naruto? Rumors fly if you let them. I heard he's one of only three that could be considered for the position."

Neji nodded. "I wasn't in his class, nor did I ever work with him, but he was a laughing stock when we were young. None of the teachers ever thought he would even pass, let alone make chuunin."

"This kid has a weird condition though, I doubt he'll be as lucky." He explained that the boy's mother had a similar condition. "He can focus chakra, but he can't seem to complete a jutsu. We've had doctors look at him, they said his mother suffered some acute charka poisoning when she was pregnant with him, and that it affected his chakra usage. He's yet to perform a single jutsu during his ninjutsu training."

"Then he can focus on his Taijutsu." The boy was calm, quiet, and thought well even though he did badly. Neji assumed it was from his problems with his chakra, both that he was discouraged from being a ninja, and that his feelings of inadequacy caused him to suffer. He thought of only one person who had similar issues. _Lee, looks like I get to teach someone just like you. Ironic isn't it? _"If he can overcome it, he would make an ideal undercover spy. With no chakra abilities, it'll be easy for him to go undercover as a civilian."

"Perhaps, I suppose the team pairing is effective then." He read through the rest of the groups that were paired off. "One of the girls has indicated remarkable chakra control, when she's older if it continues to develop she might make a good medic." The list went on and on. He reviewed each student and their peers before agreeing that the students would be in for an interesting learning experience. "It'd be nice if the academy could put out some decent ninja this time. We haven't had a good class come out since Taiki's class. He was a year above me. We were the last few classes to do well."

"I understand the decline though. With all the stress of storms and the chances of civil war; or at the very least the problems with the country, it doesn't surprise me that teaching student was overlooked in favor of running the village. In any case, these teams are only temporary. We'll see how well they work before I change them around."

"Then let the torture begin. They'll be back in ten minutes."

Neji sighed, planning out punishment papers. If the children reacted as well to his plan as they did to his other new teaching methods, there was some hope for improvement, and possibly less papers to have his assistant grade the start of each new week.

* * *

Tenten sat as calmly as she could with the women. They liked to have lunch together during the day, and they adored talking. She brought a few art supplies to keep herself busy, since she was supposed to be an artist. The women were talking about strange things, like what their husbands liked to eat, and their stranger habits, all the while she made slow gentle movements with a brush. _Watercolor, even a bad artist can make one of these look good with a little practice_. She smiled contently with her rather gloomy art. It was hard to make a rainy mountain look great.

"Then he says to me, that I need to learn how to cook rice properly!" One of the young women all but cried out indignantly. "The nerve! He tells me I can't make rice properly! He's been eating ramen cups for most of his meals, he can't even recognize real food."

Tenten coughed her light laughter into her drink. It sounded like a typical dinner with Neji. He was right though, she actually had burnt rice on several occasions.

"Better than mine. My husband has the nerve to tell me that I don't clean properly. I slave all day, dusting, mopping, and trying to keep the house nice and clean for him, and all he does is point out that the area rug is crooked. Then when he comes home, you can see the trail he makes taking off his clothes on the way to the bedroom! And don't even get me started with his dishes!" another said, waving her chopsticks around angrily in the air

"Oh that's nothing!" The first countered. "Let me tell you, I have done everything in my power to get him to try to be a bit more 'creative' if you know what I mean. He doesn't care though. That's right a man who doesn't care about sex being offered to him on a silver platter." Tenten choked slightly on her food. She had located the village Ino again.

"At least yours doesn't have any weird fetishes. I swear, if he doesn't stop obsessing over knots and bondage forms, I'm going to take that vibrator and shove it right up HIS ass for a change!"

"Am I the only one with a normal, perfect husband here?" Tenten asked sheepishly, interrupting the two younger women at their table. Neji cleaned up after himself, he cooked very well, and she was sure his mind was very creative...even if she'd never see that creativity at work. Her ideas about his creative mind came from sparring with him, and faking sex with him.

"Probably." The one who reminded Tenten so much of Ino muttered. "Your husband is the most perfect piece of man we've seen in this village in forever, I swear if you weren't married to him, he'd be the number one target of every single woman in this village." One of them added that some of the men would probably be interested too.

"Hell, he's the target no matter if he's married or not." The 'Ino-clone' stated very matter-of-factly. "He doesn't possibly have a long lost twin brother or anything, does he?"

Tenten chuckled and shook her head. "Only child, I'm afraid."

The woman cursed. 'Well if you two ever find yourselves with marital problems, I'm willing to trade."

Tenten quirked a brow. "I wouldn't be." She glanced in the direction of the academy. "I've been crazy about him for as long as I can remember. Even when I said I wasn't."

"If only some of us could be so lucky, I swear, the moment you two show signs of tension, the entire village will erupt in war to claim the spoils."

Tenten chuckled nervously. It felt like no matter where she went, people would be after Neji. "Yeah, they said that in Konoha too." She sighed to herself and glanced out the small café's windows. It was still pouring buckets, but after a whole month of constant rain and storms, she was finally starting to get used to it.

"I heard my daughter talking when she came home yesterday-she's in your husbands class, declaring quite loudly that her teacher was married to a woman who was not a ninja, and that she and the other girls simply would not allow it." The woman let out of warm chuckle while she finished her second cup of tea. "You're being used as a motivational tool, all the girls want to get stronger and marry Tsubasa-sensei!"

Tenten stared at the women in disbelief. "I...am?" If there had ever been a point that she wanted to yell to the entire village that she was in fact a ninja, she had found the moment. "I-I completed basic academy training, and I do spar with my husband, I'm not very good, but good enough to take on a bunch of kids I'm sure."

"But you aren't a practicing ninja dear, and furthermore, not a lightning nin. You don't count for the kids, even if you could whoop 'em one."

Tenten sighed in defeat. She was certain if the children knew her 'husband' was in fact a Leaf Jounin they wouldn't like him as much, even if he was gorgeous. She knew they would hate her even more if they knew she was a Leaf Jounin as well. "Well, fortunately Tsubasa is quite happy, so I suppose there's nothing for me to worry about. He's got a bad habit of being brutally honest, so I hope none of the kids declare their undying love for him. Most of the girls in Konoha still haven't recovered."

"A shock to the system might be good for them. I will admit, my little Momo's grades have improved so much in the short time he's been teaching. If it keeps up, we may have a class of future chuunin and genin once again."

Another woman nodded. "Miho's doing much better too. She's even behaving more around the house, helping me with things when she can...Whatever your husband is doing there, it's working Amaya."

"I just hope he stays a teacher and doesn't become a practicing jounin. It would be such a waste of great teaching talent." The first mother sighed, sipping her tea.

"I hope he doesn't, because I don't get to spend enough time with him as it is now. I really miss him when he's not here." Tenten said quietly while turning her cup in her hands. "It used to drive me crazy when he was away on missions, and I wouldn't see him for weeks at a time." Her eyes drifted out the windows to the gloomy rain and mist. She remembered every time she had gotten back from a mission, only to find out he had just left for one of his own. It was the cost of them all being jounin, more solo missions for all of them, less time together as a team.

"That's the life of a housewife m'dear. Just be happy that he'll be staying in the city for a good long while before they even think of shippin' him out or sending him training."

Tenten sighed in relief. "Good, because I have my own plans for him on weekends, I don't need a mission interfering with that."

She looked at her companions around the table. One was older than her by about ten years, and she was quite for the most part. She distinctly reminded Tenten of a younger Hinata, at least until she started letting conversation pick up. She had a son and young daughter, and was friends with Karou. Her eyes shifted to the shorter, happy girl next to her. Also older than Tenten, she was a widow, but her kind ways reminded Tenten of Sakura. Then there was the younger talkative pair. Cousins, and as she had imagined they would be, a gossip center. One was blunt, almost to a fault, and somewhat crude, but very smart. Her cousin was similar, she was blunt, persuasive, and very flirtatious. _It's like the worst possible combination here, it's like Ino and Temari have mental doubles in this country._

"Oh? Feeling a little frustrated are we?" Eyebrows were wiggled suggestively at her.

"I haven't even gotten a chance to kiss him much lately. So yes, frustrated is putting it lightly." Tenten mumbled. She was still annoyed that she missed being spied on for an excuse to kiss him. Nearly a full month without being watched was what they had hoped for, and now that she had it, she missed the forced moments with him. Awkward though each one was, it left her with a burning sensation in her gut that, despite the emotional pain she felt, was worth it.

"Do the children wear him out that quickly? You would think with the stamina he has, he'd be more then able to go a round after a day at the school."

"He cooks, cleans up after himself, and trains in the evening." Tenten shrugged.

"Oh you poor dear, you married a workaholic."

"Something like that." Tenten smiled and finished her drink.

"Well, you know what you need to then, don't you Amaya?" One of the younger girls leaned in close, a mischievous smile on her lips.

"Not really..." Tenten tilted her head. It was like being out with Ino, Sakura, Hinata, and Temari. Tenten mentally winced and agreed with a little voice in her head telling her that these women were even worse. The answer, they told her, was obvious. Tsubasa merely needed to be seduced. Tenten laughed to herself, memories of 'seducing the human ice cube' came rushing back. Seducing Neji was much easier said than done. "I think I wore him out when we first moved here."

"Don't back down now. If they get used to not doing it often now, you'll have to fight them in the future, remember when women hit their sexual peak, the men plummet."

"That or you'll have to tie them down and make them submit for the night." One of the girls nodded. "I mean, most guys don't like the idea of being submissive, but when you force them they learn their lesson. Some even learn how to enjoy it. Especially the ones who are super stressed. It's a relief for someone else to take control of them sometimes. You just have to be prepared cause it can lead to a lot of crying and emotional vulnerability." The woman who had first mentioned bondage commented.

Tenten twitched. Neji, bondage, crying, and emotional vulnerability did go together in a sentence. "He does look good bound on the floor, I can a-" Her cheeks turned red. "-ahaha..." She saw the women raise their eyebrows, curiosity piqued. They refused to let her stop. They poked lightly with their words, and encouragement. One stated that she simply couldn't just cut off there, another said that it was cruel to tease an active imagination with less than adequate information. They were all were staring at her expectantly. "Well...I can admit he looks good, sweaty, bound, and on the floor. You all remind me of some of the girls I knew in Konoha."

"The girls in Konoha are human, as are we. How did you get him bound and needy on the floor?" A few glances made the woman shrug. "I might need to try it on my husband." She explained calmly.

"He was teaching me some basic taijutsu," Tenten tried to think of a good reason he would wind up bound on the floor, "some articles of clothing were removed, and I just used my shirt, and his shirt to my advantage."

"He just let you do that?" One of the women burst out laughing, another looked like she was picturing the scenario as perfectly as she could.

"He fought back a bit, but he stopped when all men stop." Tenten smirked when the women leaned closer, and she felt infinitely more confident in her ability to weave a convincing lie about a sex life she didn't really have.

"What did you do? Tell us, and for the love of all that is holy and forbidden, don't hold back any details!"

As quietly as possible Tenten went into graphic detail of something that never happened, but of course, she had thought about numerous times. "…and as I said he stopped fighting back around the time he realized it was my mouth." She kept the conversation to their table as much as possible.

"I bet he didn't put up much of a fight then, did he?" One of the ladies looked like she was a few seconds away from excusing herself to the bathroom.

"Actually, he managed to get himself loose and pinned me a few minutes later." She said quite calmly, despite her natural embarrassment. Ino would have been proud, she had made a few women stare with red cheeks, and a pair of them looked like they were ready to drool. _'Remember Tenten, no matter where you are, what you do, or how polite people seem, when it's gossip about sex, people will defy their natures for a tiny bit of insider info.' _Tenten smiled at her memory of Ino's long discussion about gossip. Why did the blonde always have to be right about things like that anyway?

A few women let out nearly mournful sighs and asked if she was certain that Tsubasa had no siblings or cousins. "Aren't you all married?" Tenten asked quickly. They all looked too upset by her repeated answer that Tsubasa was an only child, with no known cousins. A few of them ordered more tea while the others ate their lunches.

"Most of us are, but girls can dream, can't they?" A few were still single, a few more widowed. It wasn't all that uncommon for their lovers to not come back home with the horrible weather, flooding, landslides, and rescues.

"Yeah," Tenten said gently as she contemplated the long month ahead. "girls can dream."

* * *

AN: Wooo. I apolgize for the delay in updating and any errors that remain. I was unable to edit this on my home computer, resorting to my flash drive and the local net cafe. Ugh talk about a nightmare. I lost my internet so bleh x.x I didn't get to update when I intended! There are few precious chapters left before this all picks up, I know you're all dying for stuff to happen well...we kinda broke down fall and winter into as few chapters as possible. Spring is what you're all waiting for! I just had this horrible mental picture of Lee popping up behind me yapping about the springtime of youth. Ugh...how ironic.


	23. Chapter 23

**Disillusioned**

By: Faraway Dawn and Kigen

* * *

**Chapter 23**

Neji groaned, taking another pill and wondering if he should take up Katsuya's offer for some migraine medication. The groups in school were hit and miss, but the students were improving, and everyone was pleased. If only it didn't create so many arguments and squabbling in the classroom. Rolling over, he looked at the clock, it was almost half past one, Tenten was due back in three minutes. He had been firm in the two hour limit after another nin, a low ranking chuunin, but a underground nin none the less-was killed. _What the hell is taking her so long?_

Ryuu poked his head up from the ball he was curled in on the bed. He let out a bored mew and curled back up. His male owner had rudely woken him for the fifteenth time.

"Stop meowing at me fur ball. You spent all day napping in the window, you have nothing to complain about." He swore all the cat did was nap, try to steal his food, or attack his feet.

Ryuu hissed indignantly and pawed at the pillows his female owner usually occupied. She was about the only creature the kitten was aware of, that could keep his male owner in check.

"Stop that." Neji picked up the kitten's paws, because hell would freeze over before he was blamed for damaged pillow cases. "Tenten will be home soon, and you'll have your loving owner back." He sighed, laid on his back, and stared at the ceiling. According to the clock, she was due home in one minute, and that fact she wasn't already there made him worry. True, Tenten had been a few minutes late before, but he was getting so very…anxious. It wasn't a feeling he was used to or fond of.

The kitten stopped and pawed gently at Neji's hand, careful not to claw him. For whatever reason he could not tell, his male owner was worried out of his mind about something.

"What? Do you want to play?" He didn't think that the kitten wanted to play. He was not wiggling his butt with his tail flailing around in excitement, or bouncing around lightly on his paws as he did normally. He let out an exasperated sigh. "Don't tell me you're actually concerned about me?" It was an all new lifetime low. _I'm being pitied by a kitten_.

When Ryuu purred in response and perked up his ears, Neji covered his eyes and groaned. "I can't believe I'm contemplating talking to a kitten like it's a psychiatrist." He muttered to himself, the idea however was just the slightest bit tempting. At least this way no one else would know what he was thinking, and it would give him a chance to straiten his thoughts. So, he sat up and steeled himself for the inevitable destruction of his dignity. "I'm gong insane, that's all there is to it."

Ryuu purred in acknowledgement. There was no doubt in the small animal's mind that his male owner was a bit insane. He rubbed his head lightly against Neji's hand to scratch his ears lightly, unaware that the reaction would probably prompt even stranger comments from Neji.

"Little attention grubber." He muttered, scratching the cat behind the ear. Tenten was now two minutes late. "She's late." Neji sighed, turning his attention back to the cat. "It's only been two minutes, I know that I shouldn't worry. She's been late before, and it's only two minutes, three now." He let his hand fall away. "Why am I so worried though?" He asked himself more than the cat. "I have complete faith in Tenten. I'm aware of the heightened danger, but it shouldn't be a problem for her. As far as individual assignments go, she's handled far worse. I can't explain why it's bothering me so much." He paused only a moment to think about all he had said. "It shouldn't bother me so much."

Most of Neji's frustrations went in one fuzzy ear and out the other. Ryuu recognized the name of his female owner, but for the most part just watched his male owner grow more frustrated. He let out a quiet 'mew' to indicate clearly, that Neji wasn't paying enough attention to his ear, and was worrying far too much.

"Brat." Neji muttered, returning his hand to scratch Ryuu's ear again. "This mission is starting to get awkward. I'm starting to take the things she says the wrong way. My mind hasn't been like this since puberty. It's disconcerting, she's my partner, and I shouldn't be having such thoughts about her."

Ryuu fell over sideways on the bed, having been leaning too far against Neji's hand, but he purred happily and curled up against Neji's side before blinking a pair of blue eyes up at him expectantly. He was not quite as attentive as his female owner, and he rambled about things that Ryuu just couldn't comprehend most of the time, but he did make a decent pillow.

Neji sighed again in response and laid back on the bed again. "As much I hate to believe it, I think I may have a...crush…on my teammate." He forced the word 'crush' out, not wanting to admit it. He was a Hyuuga. The Hyuuga did not get crushes, the smart ones didn't anyway. They where immune to warm, gushy, girly feelings. "Hopefully, it will pass quickly though. It will be a hindrance to the mission if my attention is on Tenten rather than the mission at hand."

Ryuu merely meowed back at the male. It was almost teasing in tone, and it left a strange feel in the room. It was like having Ino or Sakura cheerfully announce 'I told you so.'

"Shut up, fur ball. You don't even know what I'm talking about." He frowned, noting to himself that he did not enjoy the feeling of being mocked by a kitten.

It was not the last of the sounds the kitten made, he got up promptly after being told to be quiet and hopped across his male owner to stare at the small clock. Another quiet mew drew attention to the clock. Tenten was ten minutes late.

"Stop acting like you know what's going on. It's strange." Neji scolded. He was going to ignore the clock for now. If Tenten didn't return within the hour, he was going to go insane. Another ten minutes slipped by, Ryuu amused himself with Neji's hair, and kept his feline comments mostly to himself, he was content to purr and paw gently at Neji's hair while the male continued to grow more frustrated.

"Stop that." Neji pulled his hair away, frowning as the kitten only pounced at the strands. "She bought you toys. Go amuse yourself with those." He glanced at the clock again, she was almost a half hour late. If Tenten wasn't home within seven minutes, he was going out to look for her. It was probably nothing, security was being upped left and right. Tenten was probably just stuck and unable to leave without attention being brought to her. They had after all, decided to play it safe.

Ryuu poked his head up from the little ball he had curled into. Neji was eyeing the clock again, and the kitten meowed at him again. "Stop that. No matter how many times you point out that she's late I'm not going to go out to do anything until two." His eyes narrowed slightly at the cat's expression. "And stop giving me that look, of course I'm concerned. I don't need to explain myself to a fuzz ball that's only a few months old and is afraid of a hairdryer."

"Talking to the cat now?" Tenten asked quietly from the door. "Don't let me stop you, I'm sure it's therapeutic."

Neji looked up and frowned. How long had she been there anyway? "The creature is simply driving me insane. We should get rid of it." He wouldn't actually make her, he just couldn't stand the kitten having the gall to act smug to him.

She walked over to the bed and sat down slowly, she had already changed out of her clothes and into pajamas, having learned that a prepared bathroom worked to everyone's benefit when you came home in soaked clothes. "I'm sorry I was so late, I didn't mean to worry you." She was wrapping her arm lightly with bandages.

"It's fine. I figured you ran into trouble." He took the bandages and started to wrap her arm for her. "What happened?"

"I cut myself on a piece of metal in one of the vents. I already cleaned it out, and it's not too deep." She allowed him to wrap her arm while she explained what she'd learned. More of the same, mostly useless babble, with some interesting information. "They changed all the lock access codes, they've been trying to keep them changed out every week." It wasn't stopping the occasional deaths though. "They upped security around three particular points though, so I imagine one must be their research facility." She explained that she could not get much closer to any of the points, due to potent chakra. "I think it was Haru. I guess he's off leave, huh?"

"One of the jounin at work said that Nobaru has been going crazy trying to find this guy. He had Haru and another person working with him in different sections to make sure there's not a deeper breach of security. From what I know, only the Hokage has access to all the entry codes."

"I've had to take my time each night returning. Neji, someone else died tonight." She looked at him seriously. "I didn't see it, I just know it happened, the security nearly doubled about the time I was preparing to leave."

He cursed under his breath at the new information. "Do they have any idea what the murderer wants, or any leads on who it is?" At first he welcomed the distraction for the village, now it was making their job more difficult. They hadn't even found which of the highly guarded areas were the facility they were after. On top of that, the murders made Tenten's work significantly more dangerous.

"I think they're after the same things we are. That's what the concern seems to be, whoever it is, they're after the research. Nobaru is hauling in people for questioning from what I heard, higher ranking jounin, and a few 'witnesses' who claim they were nearby when the murders took place."

"It might be another village. One of the other villages might have obtained the same information we did, they might have started a similar operation." He suggested, after all their mission was supported by the Sand, who was to say that one of the other villages hadn't found out the same things? Who was to say that they weren't ordered to be so discreet.

Tenten nodded in agreement and handed out a detailed map. "I added some eh, details to yours." It was the same one he had made of the basic floor plans of the tunnel areas. "This whole corridor is trapped heavily, even the vents have some traps in them. I can disable them, but it'll take me about a month if I don't go out every night for about three hours."

He shook his head. "That would take too long. They'd notice if their system failed, especially right now. Is there any way to bypass them completely? A hidden route or master code maybe?"

"It'd take me a really long time to get information like that, if you want to play that route, you're going to have to really pull double duty while teaching." Then, a thought struck her. How was she going to explain her injury to the women, who seemed to never shut up? "How am I going to explain this anyway?" She nodded to her arm.

He picked up the cat. "You tried to give the demon a bath, your arm suffered the consequences. You can just refuse to take off the bandages. Say you're afraid of it scaring or getting an infection."

"Yeah, I guess." Finally her eyes drifted to the clock. "You know, it's a good thing you don't have to work tomorrow. I'm really sorry I kept you up worrying about me." She took Ryuu from Neji and pet him while quietly apologizing to him for whatever he had to endure from Neji.

"Don't apologize to the cat. The only thing I did was not let it chew my hair."

"You were talking to him like he was me." She scratched the kitten lightly behind the ears. "Talking to him about me, like he was me."

"I tell you, that thing is making me insane."

"If it makes you feel any better, I talk to him about you sometimes." She set Ryuu down and laid back on the bed.

"Not particularly. I was hoping I wasn't the only sane one in Team Gai."

"I'm still sane, I just can't really talk to the women of this village, and the cat isn't going to go telling everyone who you really are." She stretched out slowly and stared at the ceiling. "That's why I talk your ear off on the weekends, I miss talking to a human that doesn't have children that consider me weak or not good enough for their teacher."

"You found out most of my female students have declared you the enemy?" He smirked, admittedly he found it more amusing than he should have. There was a distinctly jealous edge to her voice.

She pulled a note off the table beside their bed and dangled it before him. Tenten had found it cute, the first ten times, then it just got absurd. "They can barely spell, and they're talking about how they're going to make you the happiest man alive. They say that, I'm just not good enough for you, because I am not a ninja." She rolled her eyes. "I think I prefer your Konoha fan base. I can't exactly fight off seven year olds without feeling guilty about being so far out of their league."

Neji chuckled. "I had Tetsumi return one that had horrendous spelling mistakes with corrections, but that didn't go over well."

Tenten was certain it had resulted in a very angry child. "The women in the village told me that if there were any signs of marital issues with us, half the village would be all over it, just waiting for one of us to be available." She looked at him pointedly. "Mainly you..."

"The men would be all over it too, they don't shut up about you." Neji told her. He had heard more then his share of interests of his wife. "One actually told me your beauty was wasted on someone who couldn't see." At least she didn't have any psycho women after her as well.

"That's pretty bold." She muttered. Who actually said something like that to someone who was supposed to be blind anyway? At least, she mused with relief, his male students weren't sending her love letters or gawking at her.

"He was drunk at the time." Neji shrugged. "At least your admirers stay away. I'm stuck with taijutsu training with them each day." He paused. "A seven year old should have no desire to grope my ass."

Tenten gave him a funny look, she attempted to hold back the laughter that was threatening to burst out. Neji had been felt up by a seven year old. She snapped, her laughter startled Ryuu and caused her to cough a few minutes later. "Felt up by a seven year old, oh...I can't wait to tell Lee."

"I have no sympathy for you anymore." Neji told her. "Don't you dare tell Lee. He'll give me a speech about desecrating a child's virtue and innocence."

"I'm sorry, it's just such a mental picture." She promised she wouldn't tell Lee, and she assured him that she wouldn't tell anyone they knew. She commented on how the current storm appeared to be getting worse, that the temperature was obviously dropping again, and that in the basement earlier in the evening, Neji's aim had significantly improved. "You're really doing a lot better." She said slipping under the covers. Tenten was by no means, ready to sleep, but she was cold. Ryuu followed suit and burrowed under the blankets next to Neji.

Neji on the other hand was ready to sleep. Even if he didn't have to teach in the morning, had had taught earlier in the day. "I've been practicing." He admitted. "It still needs a lot of fine tuning before I'll be happy with it though."

"At least you're hitting your mark repeatedly more than sixty percent of the time. You even hit multiple targets." Her taijutsu had steadily improved in a month as well. He was showing her more complex katas and commented far less often on her lack of fluidity. "Spring is going to be a blessing." She mumbled and shifted to her side. She had taken for granted the years she had been able to train outside constantly. "I miss being outside and really tearing a training ground apart."

"I'll see if I can get Taiki to let us go to the training grounds again this year. It'll be nice to spar in a place with more room."

"You just want to tear the place apart." She muttered with a smile.

"I'd like to do it without fear of the ceiling collapsing on us, yes."

She laughed quietly to herself and closed her eyes in response. "I'll be using explosives if we go outside."

"And I'll be using my byakugan for a change." He said as he relaxed considerably.

"I'm still not going to submit to you." She said quietly before drifting into sleep. She expended more energy than she had been aware, sitting in a ventilation shaft all night, masking her chakra for hours.

"I'll make you eventually." Neji mumbled back, sleep swiftly laying its claim on him.

Fall was ever the changing season, the world changed, even when one was unprepared for it. The rain had changed to sleet and sometimes snow, and they were graced with the pleasure of watching the weather go from bad, to much worse. Neji said the children were learning quickly to at least be passable, and would probably not be total disappointments, even if they did have severe issues. The women gossiped more as the weather got worse, and the death toll in the village (a highly classified number) kept going up.

"You'd think that they'd run out of ninja to kill by now." Neji muttered as he cooked. The school had been closed early because of an incident far too close to the building. He had spent the last hour and a half walking various students home to make sure they got there safely, and as a result, had to speak to many of the parents

"Well, whoever it is has been careful. Eluding Nobaru for a full three months on top of however long they were here undetected is something else." She jumped slightly at a knock at the door. It was a civilian based on their weaker chakra.

"Do you want me to answer it?" He was up to his elbows in soup and vegetables. With as dangerous as it was right now, it would make sense he go in case the visitor wasn't a civilian. Tenten was supposed to be playing the part of the wife.

"Do you want me to burn the food?" Tenten smiled.

He sighed. "Go answer the door please Amaya."

Tenten answered the door while Neji continued to cook. She spoke only a few minutes before returning with a stunned expression and a scroll in her hands. "It's from Konoha."

"A letter from home?" He turned down the heat. "Who is it from?"

She opened the scroll and smiled. "Sakura, without a doubt, I recognize the writing." It was a well disguised letter, written to their code names. Sakura said they were missed and a great deal had happened since they were away. "Ino and Temari finally got into a physical fight." She chuckled and read the letter aloud pausing abruptly in the middle. "Oh, I bet your uncle is thrilled." She said quietly.

He groaned softly, her voice did not mask her obvious surprise and concern. "Do I even want to know the news?" Hinata was probably getting married to Kiba and Shino.

"Hinata's pregnant." She resisted the urge to slam her head against the counter. Naturally, the Hyuuga clan was up in arms about it. "Sounds like the family is pissed..." She continued on with the letter.

"Oh gods..." Neji grimaced like he was in pain. Hinata was pregnant? _Pregnant? _The food, completely forgotten began to smoke a little.

"Hey!" Tenten turned off the stove. "Focus will you? Burning food is my job." She continued to read the letter and stopped abruptly again. Her eyes grew wide and her expression changed to one of pleasant surprise.

Neji grumbled, going back to cooking as his mind tried to catch up. "What?" He asked at the gasp. "What happened now? Is Sasuke pregnant too?"

"It's Lee." Her expression softened suddenly. Then she realized that Neji had probably heard that wrong.

"What? Lee's pregnant?" His mind blanked, there was really only so much a person could take in before things stopped making sense.

"Engaged." She blinked her eyes a few times. "He asked her."

Neji took a deep breath and thought about it. Engaged, Lee wanted to marry Sakura for as long as he could remember. That meant Lee and Sakura were getting married. "I see." He said evenly, the image of a pregnant Lee still stubbornly clung to the edges of his mind. It refused to move and was dragged out kicking and screaming by what was left of Neji's sanity.

"Good for him." She smiled and traced the words across the scroll. Lee had everything he wanted. He was a respected jounin, he was an instructor, and he had the girl of his dreams. "Good for him." She repeated.

Neji nodded. "He deserves this happiness." It was good to see that Lee had so much going for him. "Do they mention when they're getting married?"

"We're going to miss it, they're getting married this summer, during the summer festival." She answered sadly.

"I'm sure we'll hear more about it then we would have seen if we were there." Neji patted her arm, a bit disappointed himself. In all honesty, they could go and visit Konoha for the wedding. It had been agreed beforehand however, that they would not leave Lightning Country to maintain their cover.

"I'm sure Ino will take and send pictures." She finished reading the note and laughed lightly towards the end. "Neji apparently got married last month..." She gave them credit for sticking to the story. She found her own name and shuddered. "What the hell?" Why of all people, did they say that she was seeing Chouji? "Oh she's lucky we can't make the wedding..."

"What? Did I end up marrying someone horrid?" He asked with a faint hint of irritation in his voice.

"You married Hanabi, but I'm apparently seeing Chouji!" She looked horrified. "That was the best they could come up with?"

"Amaya, dear. Who else is there left to date?"

"Single life really isn't that bad."

"Ino would rather cut off her right arm then allow someone to go around single for their life." Neji reminded her, serving the slightly browned dinner

"Chouji though..." Tenten ran a hand through her hair and rubbed her forehead. "Creativity is supposed to be something she's good at." She mumbled. "Don't get me wrong, Chouji is sweet, he's just not my type."

He shrugged. "It's not like she put you with Gaara or Kankuro." Chouji was a nice, sweet guy by just about anyone's standards. "Though, I suppose you would want someone a bit more challenging than Chouji."

"I'd prefer to be screaming, not trying to cook foods I've never heard of." She said simply while picking at her food, which was surprisingly good overcooked.

"What I mean is, Chouji's a relatively easy person to get along with. You need someone who's a bit more forceful than Chouji would be." He frowned at the food. It was overcooked, but thankfully not burned yet. His record remained spotless.

"In a relationship, I'd want some heat." Tenten admitted. "It's no fun if there's not a challenge."

"Like I said, someone more forceful."

She nodded. Forceful wasn't the word she'd use. "I'd prefer someone more...dominant."

He nodded in response and recalled one of their previous conversations. "You want to be dominated and forced to submit. I remember."

"Like I said," She smirked and let Ryuu sniff the food she held in her chopsticks. "I want heat in a relationship, it should be passionate and spontaneous." She smirked at the small cat nibbling at her food. "The idea of someone who could make me willingly submit to them..." She shrugged and smiled. "Nice thought, not likely though."

"Make you? I was under the impression that you would have to be forced, often and near violently."

"The right man could make me do anything…" She tugged her chopsticks away from Ryuu and glanced at Neji out of the corner of her eye. "You sound like you've been giving it thought."

"We discussed it months ago."

"You're thinking about it right now." She held a bit more food up for the cat to attempt to eat. "I think Ryuu likes it overcooked."

"You need to stop feeding it human food." He answered.

"What about you though, I don't really think Hanabi is your type..." She continued to play with the cat, despite his comment.

He wrinkled his nose. "She isn't. Hopefully, I'll end up marrying a stranger that I don't hate." Hanabi was like an irritating sister.

"I can't see you wanting someone as passive as that." She continued to tease the cat and smiled when he stood on his hind legs to swat at her chopsticks. "You require stimulation, intellectual and physical, pretty obvious by how much you train, a girl who can keep up with you would be a pretty clear requirement."

"I'm a Hyuuga. My wife will most likely be a noble who will stay at home while I am on missions." It didn't matter what he wanted

"That wasn't what I asked though, I asked what you wanted. Not what you'd probably get." She set down her chopsticks and was rewarded with an annoyed meow.

"It doesn't matter. I wish you'd stop brining this conversation up. Talking won't change anything."

She sighed. "It was just a question." She reached out a hand and pet Ryuu behind the ears. "Clearly one you're very afraid of answering."

With a bit of an edge to his voice, he reminded her that he felt no particular need to discuss unpleasant things.

"Sorry..." She said quietly. "I'll try to think about what I'm about to say every few minutes so you don't have to get annoyed with me." The cat purred quietly. "I didn't mean to bring up a touchy subject...it was just conversation." The cat wandered across the table and pawed at Neji's hand.

He lightly pushed the cat away. He hadn't meant to come across the way he knew he had. "Never mind it Tenten. Was there anything else in the letter?"

"Yeah, they didn't check it very well." She pulled a layer off the scroll. "Sakura's pretty good at hiding messages. This is Lee's writing, and it's for you." She held out the scroll for him. "Your's to read, not mine." She smiled and pointed out that she couldn't read Lee's writing well anyway.

Neji pushed the bandages covering his eyes up. "It's just gibberish. Half the page is dedicated to Sakura's beautiful eyes and her youthful spirit." He shook his head, chuckling a bit at that. There were a few things his eyes quickly located further in, that were very clearly for his eyes only.

"Yeah, that's Lee for ya. Probably some corny love advice in there too." She took her plate back to the kitchen and started to wash the dishes. "I don't think I'm going to be going out tonight." She said staring out at the horrible weather. "I think I'm just going to hit the basement after this and...cut loose."

"The security will be too high after the murder today." He agreed. He carried his dishes to Tenten and began to assist her.

"Security wasn't my concern. The weather was. I'll get sick in that." She pointed out the window.

"I thought the storm season was ending." Neji mumbled, looking at the pouring rain. The windows shook with the following boom of thunder.

"Yeah the rain season part is, the women said we're getting heavy snow next week." She pointed to the window with a grim expression. Most of the rain was depositing bits of ice on the window. "Freezing rain, our favorite." She said sarcastically. Konoha rarely had such horrible weather, it was simply rain or snow, rarely a combination of the two.

"I hate this kind of cold." Neji groaned silently. He liked being from the country of fire for a reason; it was warm there. His cold tolerance was higher than Tenten's, he knew it and admitted it. It wasn't high enough to be living permanently in the Cloud Village though.

"We should probably get out an extra blanket." Tenten nodded, she detested the kind of cold one could experience in the Cloud Village. Even in Konoha, the cold wasn't biting. "You were fine with it when we moved here." She pointed out with a smirk. Of course, she reminded herself, it had not been snowing. It had merely been a cold consistent wind. Cold and dry was nothing to Neji compared to cold and wet.

"There were worse things to deal with at the time." He stated. He turned and grabbed another blanket out of the closet. He hated snow, he hated wet, but he especially hated wet and cold. Wind and chills were easy enough to ward off but the cold of a snowy winter seemed to sink into his body and stay there.

"And you get to enjoy that weather every day..." She reminded him, unable to avoid thinking about Neji trudging through snow, grumbling about how much he hated it, with a flock of small female children adoring him and at the same time pelting him with snowballs.

"That's what transportation jutsu are for." He wouldn't really use such a high level jutsu so readily but it would be tempting once the snow began to fall.

Tenten's mind continued to wander. The idea of a large cluster of adoring female children, fangirls in training, attempting the transportation jutsu to follow their beloved sensei was too much. She laughed into her hand and tried to stop.

"What are you laughing about?" He looked at his partner like she had just snapped. "You look demented like that, so stop it."

"Hey, I've got knives in this sink, don't tempt me." She continued to laugh and bit her lip. "Your little fangirls would be miserable if you used a transportation jutsu. They'd be unable to check your ass out while you trudge through snow."

Neji's mouth opened like he was about to say something, then he shook his head. "I'm not even dignifying that with a response." He sighed, closed the closet, and opened it back up when he realized Ryuu was inside. "Next thing I know, you'll be painting a target on my rear so they can practice their accuracy."

Tenten laughed again. The mental pictures were too much. "N-No I wouldn't do that to you." She then suffered a mental picture that was not so funny. The children weren't the only ones who would take advantage of it. She had a mental image of Nobaru, with a horrible pleased grin on his face, and an all too willing hand just reaching out... "Eh...no I definitely wouldn't do that to you." She rapidly shook her head a few times to dispel the image.

Neji raised an eyebrow before shaking his head. _I don't want to know_. It did have some merit though. Perhaps he would attach something to him, a tag from his belt maybe, to see if any of the children were skilled enough to take it from him. "That would be a good lesson." He mused.

"What?" She snapped out of her daze at his comment.

"Hiding something on my body and seeing if any of the students can retrieve it. It would be good to see their skill levels, as well and seeing how well they're taking to teamwork." He wondered how long it would take for them to try and fight in organized groups.

"Kakashi did that with his team." She finished putting away the dishes and sighed. "You know, most of the girls in your class though, are just going to use it as an opportunity to touch your butt, maybe feel up your chest, and if you're really unlucky, one might go for the goods."

"I'd like to think that I'm skilled enough to keep from being manhandled by children who aren't even genin." He could easily outmaneuver children.

"Nobaru won't pass up the opportunity either." She mumbled.

"Nobaru isn't one of my students. It's not like I'll be walking around outside of school with a sign on me that says 'grope me' anyway."

"You never know." She said simply as she stretched. She could feel every muscle in her body protesting. Spending most of her days practicing taijutsu after cleaning gave her more aches than she had anticipated. She wasn't out of shape at all, but was still very unaccustomed to fighting close range and the amount of motion it involved. Ranged combat, she concluded, was less physically taxing on the body.

"You need to work more on your stamina." Neji called from the bedroom, he instinctively knew exactly what Tenten was doing.

"It has nothing to do with stamina!" She called back before she paused. If he knew what she was doing... "What are you watching me for anyway?"

"I don't need to be watching you to know what you're doing Tenten." She had done the same thing the pervious day and the day prior.

She grumbled to herself and headed to the bedroom. She crossed her arms and leaned against the doorframe. "Ok fair enough...how did you know what I was doing though?"

"You groan like an old woman when you do it." Not to mention he could hear her cracking her knuckles from the other room.

"And you sound like you just got serviced when you do it." She muttered. She most certainly did not sound like an old woman!

"How would you know what that sounds like?" He asked, picking the cat off the bed for the fifth time. Ryuu would always sleep on his pillow until Neji decided it was time to make the bed. Then he would insist on being in the middle of the damn thing.

"I've walked in on Ino a few times, I've walked in on Hinata a few times, and I've walked in on Naruto more times than I can count." She shuddered at the end of her statement. "It's one of those things you never forget, no matter how much you try, and in all honesty, having lunch with women who think I do that to you every time I get the chance, is eh...well let's just say I have to know what I'm talking about to be convincing."

He had meant to ask how she knew what he sounded like being serviced, but let her think what she liked. "I do not grunt and groan like a rutting animal Tenten."

"You do when you stretch your back. You do in your sleep sometimes too." She answered with a shrug.

"Again, I do not grunt and groan like a rutting animal." Neji said, sounding scandalized. Next Tenten would insist he scratched his ass while belching.

Ryuu however, meowed at Neji as though to argue with his male owner, he had returned to his spot on the center of the bed. "Would you stop that you stupid fur ball?" He picked the cat up by the scruff and dropped him on the floor. "Stay."

Tenten merely chuckled when the cat disobeyed Neji's command, and promptly returned to his spot on the bed with an indignant hiss.

"Tenten, hold your cat for a moment please." He picked up the kitten and dropped it in Tenten's lap. Ryuu attempted to climb out of her grasp, but eventually remained still when she rubbed his ears.

"I can just imagine the look on everyone's face, when they find out you had a cat."

"It's your cat Tenten. I'm just stuck living with it because you won't get rid of it."

"He loves you though." She scratched under the cat's chin and smiled at his gentle purr. "He always wants you to pet him. He just wants you to love him."

"Don't try to guilt me." Neji sighed. "I pet it, I feed it, and I change its litter box when you forget. There is nothing you can do to guilt me."

"See? He cares about you." She told the cat in her arms. "He feeds you, cleans your litter box, he even plays with you when he thinks I'm not watching."

"I do not play with it. I simply distract it so it'll leave me alone." Tenten made it sound like he coddled the thing! Ryuu however seemed content at last. He made no sound and curled up in Tenten's arms.

"You really aren't good with animals." She told Neji with a smile. "Being gentle with them makes them feel at ease."

"I don't care if the fur ball is at ease with me. As long as it stays out of the way, it's fine."

She raised a brow at him but chose not to comment. She could bring up the many times she returned home to find him talking to the cat about his concerns of her being late, or the times she returned to hear him talking to the cat about his disturbing female students, or even the times she had returned to find him talking to the cat about having strange dreams again. "You're actually very nice to him when you think I'm not watching."

Neji scoffed. "Not kicking it does not count as kindness towards it." He would never kick the animal, but he could admit to scaring it a few times with a blow-dryer when it refused to leave him be after a shower.

Tenten rolled her eyes and set the cat down on the bed. She intended to get a light workout in before bed. She left both the cat and Neji alone in the room and retreated to the basement to work off excess energy.

Neji glared at the kitten. Clearly miffed as it meowed, displeased with it's owner. "Don't look at me like that. I'm not the one who made her leave."

Ryuu pawed at the blankets until it made a slight depression. His light purring resumed when he curled up in the very center of the bed. He lifted his head only so often to meow at Neji or to reach a paw out to swat at his hand.

"I just made the bed. Go lay on your pillow." The damned cat had his own bed! He sure as hell did not need to monopolize theirs. "Move."

A gentle hiss was a firm and defiant 'no' from Ryuu. He remained curled up on the bed and waited quietly for Neji to begin his usual evening rant.

"I'm not talking to you tonight. Go chase one of your felt mice." Neji scoffed, getting out his kunai and sitting to sharpen them. Ryuu remained defiant though and stayed put on the bed. He stretched out before returning to his little ball, his ears perking only slightly at the sound of Neji sharpening his weapons.

"Stay there. I'm not going to explain to Tenten that you're bleeding because you're an idiot and decided sniffing them would be a good idea." He told the cat when he lifted his gaze to the sharp objects.

The cat hissed at the male, as if to state that he was not the stupid one in the house. His tail twitched slightly and he resumed his quiet purring. His female master was considerably more tolerant of him just relaxing on the bed with her.

Neji shook his head at the animal. "You're impossible. Something so small shouldn't have the ability to annoy me so much."

Ryuu merely flicked his tail lightly and stretched out a paw. Whatever his male owner said, sounded like a compliment.

"Don't look so content with yourself. Your biggest concern in life is whether you can sneak part of our dinner from us. You have nothing to be proud of." He sighed, poking the cat's stomach. "You won't be cute forever. You will eventually grow up and loose your hold on Tenten."

The cat purred and pawed lightly at the hand that pet him. His male master often said things he didn't understand, and this was another. His female master would probably have understood what he meant, but Ryuu was just pleased to be holding the attention in the room.

"Little attention hog." Neji scratched the underside of Ryuu's chin, getting a louder rumbling from the fuzzy beast. "You're spoiled."

Tenten returned to the bedroom an hour later, smirking at the attention the cat received from Neji in her absence. It was funny how much Neji complained about the cat, but seemed to always cave to the small creature. She changed out of her clothes and into something warmer before she slipped under the covers. The kitten in turn, crawled over to her and wormed its way under the covers between her and Neji. "Cute." She chuckled.

"It's not cute. It needs to learn it's not allowed in our bed." _Or on the tables, or couch, or chairs, or anything above shin level…_

"It's not that bad." She said quietly. She laid back against her pillows and sighed. "I mean, unless you've got a problem with him curled up against me at night." She turned on her side and let the cat curl up beside her. "It's not like he sleeps on you." The only thing the kitten did was make it hard for her to be close to Neji at night. It merely meant she was up a few hours longer than she wanted to be, but she'd never tell Neji that. Especially after months of arguing in favor of the kitten.

" I've woken up with cat hair in my mouth before." Neji argued, before stretching out on the bed and relaxing. It didn't really bother him as much as he said, the kitten did stay on Tenten's side and rarely disturbed him. "Good night Tenten."

She smiled and whispered 'good night' to him before closing her eyes. He'd be asleep long before her. She brushed her fingers against the purring kitten hoping that the sound would help her sleep.

* * *

AN: I know a bit shorter, I know still not spring...if there are any errors in here, I really do apologize. Trying to get my new net up. Also probably the most important thing, all chapters with Ryuu are now dedicated to my cat Sneakers who passed away this week. Nineteen and a half years of being a cute pest have done great things for my life.


	24. Chapter 24

**Disillusioned **

By: Faraway Dawn and Kigen

* * *

**Chapter 24**

Winter was a cruel season. It snowed almost endlessly, and if anything, the winds were far worse. It was just as cold as they had been warned and Tenten was grateful that, if nothing else, they had bought some warmer clothing. She stared at the snow piled almost waist high outside their window. Haru was working again, and he had made her last few outings a nightmare. Neji complained that sometimes Haru's excess chakra was even felt in the academy, and it was the only thing he hated as much as snowballs being thrown at him by giggling children.

"Stupid brats." Neji muttered as he pulled off his soaking wet shirt. There was going to be a pop quiz within the week and a three page paper due on some archaic combat tactics if anyone failed. Yes, he was feeling a bit vindictive towards small children, but he had snow down his boxers. He was in his mind, completely entitled to his rage.

"Rough day?" Tenten didn't turn away from the window. She too had been trudging through snow, because the village ladies insisted that snow was a minor inconvenience. The lunch schedule clearly, trumped all things, even horrible weather. She was still thinking about her previous night out, riddled with all sorts of unfortunate events. Neji was painfully annoyed about her being late, and even more so when she admitted to passing out from a burst of chakra from Haru. He had begun prowling the tunnels with Nobaru, which made hiding significantly harder. It also made getting work done nearly impossible.

"The day was fine. It's the walk home and morning ambushes that are getting to me." True, they rarely managed to hit their teacher, but one of the boys was getting closer each day. "Their aim is improving too much." He headed to the bedroom, shucked off all his clothes, and grabbed dry ones from the closet. "How did lunch go?"

"Lunch goes the same way, every day. I get to listen to four women fawn over you, talk about how perfect you are, and I get to be asked embarrassing questions about our nonexistent sex life. You know seriously, I'm running out of good stories to tell them." She still felt weak from having lost consciousness, and her head was still throbbing from the combined excess chakra and lunch with the girls. "I never thought I'd say it, but I miss Ino's tame lunch conversations."

"Go buy some of those books Kakashi is always reading. That should serve as conversation fodder for a while." He pulled a sweater over the long sleeved shirt he had pulled on. He detested the infernal cold. "I heard some of the jounin at school talking. Nobaru and Haru are getting more and more frustrated. They'll be combing the tunnels separately tonight."

"Do you know which sections?" They had long mastered the layout of the tunnels, Tenten knew each passage by heart, which led to the hospital, which led to the ANBU office, and which ones led to the shelters. "Knowing which ones to avoid would be nice." She shivered slightly, not from the cold, but from the feeling she couldn't shake. "I still feel those traces of Haru's chakra. I'd rather take my chances with Nobaru."

"They're working with two other ANBU. They'll start at the outer edges and work their way inward, hoping a sweep will force whoever's around to move into the center where they can be trapped." He would spend his time waiting tonight. He had faith in Tenten's ability, but knew well enough that Nobaru and his team could cause her trouble. "They're going to be more thorough in the areas where there's been recent activity. Stay away from them for tonight, ok?"

"So...no busting into the ANBU office?" She held up a few wires. "I kinda started dismantling their defense system and replacing it with fake ones. Stuff that I can bypass easily, but they'll fool most trained people. I mean these things are covered in dust, I doubt they get checked often. I'm sure ANBU has information the rest of the village doesn't." Neji shook his head and told her to focus on the lab instead. The lab was the most tightly guarded, and the hardest to get into. Tenten hadn't been able to breach the defenses of the three set structures they assumed to be the lab.

"You saw that place. What exactly do you think I'm going to be able to do huh?" She finally turned away from the window. "There's traps everywhere, on top of chakra monitors, I have to keep my chakra completely suppressed to be near that place, and I can only do it for so long."

"You haven't tried disguising your chakra yet though, have you?" Neji mused, hand on his chin. It was a dangerous idea, a hard one to pull off. It might be too risky to even try, but the idea was very real, very possible.

Tenten blinked at him. Neji was not the one to generally suggest high risk maneuvers. "That could backfire so easily."

"I know, forget I said it." If they could make it work though, maybe with Tenten's scrolls and his abilities... "Do you think you could get a sample of Haru's chakra in one of your scrolls?" It would take work, but if it was successful, they could use it.

"I'd have to spend a lot of time around him." She shifted nervously. "He uses enough chakra for me to try to bind some, but it will take a lot of time, and if I lose consciousness again..." Even hidden, she'd be easier to detect, and that worried her. She had gotten lucky the previous night.

"Tonight, and for the next few weeks, try to gather samples of Haru's chakra. If we could properly bind it to a scroll, we could use it to disguise you and get you past the chakra monitors." It might not work and mean a lot of wasted time, but if it did work, Tenten could work undetected for a while. Perhaps even long enough to get them somewhere.

Tenten took a few steps toward him and placed her hand on his forehead. "You're not getting sick are you? I mean really you do understand how dangerous this is, right?"

"We'll take our time with it. We still have over a year to complete this mission. If we can't use the chakra then we'll just have to move onto another plan." He answered calmly, pushing her hand lightly away.

She leaned closer and wrapped her arms around his neck. "You're being reckless and dangerous..." He was brilliant she agreed, but definitely pushing the reckless and dangerous aspect. She trailed a finger down his chest. "I think..." She trailed off quietly.

Neji raised a eyebrow, and swallowed a bit harder then he should. "Yes, Tenten?" He asked, looking down at her thoughtful expression. He wasn't completely opposed to her being that close, or so physical.

"It could work." She said simply before giving him slight smile and roughly tugging on the collar of his shirt. "I think you should leave reckless and dangerous to me though, it's really not you, I like calm and calculating."

"I assure you, I am perfectly calm and calculating on every aspect of this mission. I will be quick to throw it away if it doesn't work. However Tenten," he gently removed her hands from his collar. "just because I am not reckless and idiotic, doesn't mean I won't be able to surprise you sometimes."

"Obviously, you're looking at me kinda funny, that's a total surprise." She agreed. "I'll see what I can do. I think I have a scroll that can bind chakra somewhere."

Haru's chakra was volatile. It might not even be possible to manipulate it themselves. He conceded they would be lucky if she could effectively contain it and instructed her to only get a small sample, to see how much effort it would take to contain and manipulate it. While he warned her, she nodded, agreeing to only take what would be needed to at least begin testing the theory. "And I know...I know...If I get overwhelmed, just retreat."

"If you think there's even a slight chance of getting caught, I want you to get out." He corrected. She had been taking more and more unnecessary risks recently, admittedly they were with fewer leads than either had expected, but still some risks were just too great. She had come home a few times complaining of persistent aches and pains, headaches, a few times she insisted she was nearly caught and each time it drove him utterly insane worrying. A part of him openly mocked himself, he did after all rant at the cat when she was late. As far as he was concerned, he was sinking into a whole new level of pathetic.

"We're undercover, there's more than a slight chance of getting caught." She teased. She enjoyed the exasperated look on his face every once in a while. It was cute the way his eyes did all the talking, practically begging her to not be so difficult.

"You know what I mean, Tenten." He sighed, shaking his head lightly before turning and heading to the kitchen. She would at least eat something this time before she headed out.

"Quiet night to yourself didn't do you any good I guess?" She asked shrugging. It wasn't like she hadn't raided the fridge when she returned.

"You almost passed out last time. I'm not going to rule out improper nutrition as the cause."

"It had nothing to do with not eating." She argued weakly.

"Skipping dinner didn't help the matter."

"Fine..." Tenten sighed and sat down at the table. When Neji won, Neji won. She hated when he won. "Do yourself a favor, make something you like tonight, you always make my favorites."

"Other than your disgusting noodles, I don't have any real preferences." It didn't matter to him whether they had sukiyaki or instant ramen.

He stuck to simple, rice and some stir fried vegetables were easy enough to prepare with a cat pouncing around every time you moved. They made small talk while he cooked, occasionally he yelled at the cat to stay out of his way and she laughed from her place in the living room. While they ate they discussed simple strategy. What she would look for, what she would avoid, good places to begin collecting Haru's chakra, and even the weather.

Eventually they finished eating and she lightly pushed her plate aside. "It's snowing like crazy out there, I'm going to take a spare pair of clothes, so that I don't stand out like an eyesore. First things first though, I'm taking a hot shower, so that I retain some measure of warmth out there."

"Alright." Neji nodded, clearing the table. He grabbed a few reference scrolls on chakra and sat down, seeing how possible their endeavor was. Ryuu pawed gently at the scrolls Neji was reading, while his female owner showered. He often left Neji wondering if the cat simply enjoyed being a pest, or if he in fact was plotting against him. The words scrawled across the scroll made no sense to the small feline, but the hand swatting him away from said scroll was enough to entertain him. Groaning, Neji reached into the couch cushions. Sure enough he came up with one cat toy, which he tossed down the hall. "Go chase that, demon."

Sure enough, the cat bounded down the hall resulting in a loud crash. Tenten cursed on the ground in her robe. "Neji, I know you're trying to kill the cat, and I'll beat you up for it later, but stop trying to kill me too!" She picked up the cat and looked him over. No harm done, he had merely startled her when she exited the shower and tripped her in his zeal to reach his toy. She set the cat down and sent him on his way to Neji advising him to 'give him hell' while she changed.

"I just threw the toy Tenten. I wasn't aiming at you." He said running his finger down a line of text. "And we both know if I killed the cat, there would be much less evidence. Anyway, you're a ninja, shouldn't you have been able to avoid that?"

"Yeah that's what they all say," She called while changing, "and I have no idea what you're talking about. I'm a civilian." She had not worn white since she was a chuunin. She tugged on a pair of gloves and her shoes. She would be damn near invisible in the whiteout conditions outside, and she shoved her black clothes into a bag so that she would be practically invisible in the tunnels.

"I don't think I need to say this Tenten, but be careful. What you're going to try is a lot more difficult then what you usually do." He watched her gather her things and tried not to remind himself that this time, he would not be there to help her if anything went wrong. It drove him a bit crazy inside, leaving him with a lingering feeling of uselessness.

"I'll be alright." She checked over her scrolls in their living room and checked her weapons closely. "Exhausted, but alright." She assured him while looking over her kunai.

"Do what you can." Neji began making notes from the scrolls, different theories he wanted to try, different tactics that the pair had worked up during particularly long stormy nights, and so on.

"Try not to have a panic attack if I'm late." She smiled, put away her kunai, and scratched the cat under the chin. "I'll see you in a few hours."

"I will not have a panic attack." Neji frowned, still scribbling away at the scroll. There were notes on how to rewrite seals to release chakra slowly over time, notes made by Tenten. Those were of particular interest.

"Good, I'll be back later." She said quietly, slipping out the door and into the whiteout.

"Good luck." Neji said softly to the empty room before he picked up another cat toy and chucked it down the hall. "Damned cat." He watched with the lightest traces of annoyance while Ryuu chased after the toy and played with it for a few minutes before returning with it. The cat hopped up onto his lap and dropped the toy promptly before lying across Neji's lap. The feline yawned and closed his eyes, aware that in only a short amount of time, the male would be rambling about something or other.

Across town, and far beyond the reach of help her partner could have given her, Tenten moved slowly and silently through the passages. Following Haru was a task, and no easy one at that. Nobaru was nowhere near at least, which kept her from the pinnacle of frustration. Each time Haru stopped to give an area a thorough investigation, she'd stop a short distance away, take safe cover, and begin to work on binding his excess chakra. She rolled her eyes as her hands worked through the seals. It was a lot more complicated than Neji made it sound.

Haru continued his examination of areas for a time before stopping once more. Something felt off, very off even. As though something was there that shouldn't have been, but every time he stopped to look for it, he could found nothing. "Frustrating." He muttered, scanning the room he was currently combing. The team was being worked to death and was so wound up with unease, that he couldn't tell if it was real or just misplaced paranoia causing him to stop and look around.

Tenten shuddered lightly in her hiding place. Haru's chakra was still obviously not as well controlled as it should have been. She could feel it, even as she attempted ever so carefully, to bind it. Why was she always the one stuck doing the obscenely dangerous work? _Because you do this for a living... _Neji was a freaking ninja too after all, it wasn't like he couldn't do the same thing! _He'd get us caught faster than Lee with booze on a covert mission, I have more training for this than him_. The security of being with him certainly wouldn't have hurt though. _Touché. Oh for fucks sake, I'm way too stressed, I'm arguing with myself! _She rubbed her head lightly and forced her own chakra to repel the chakra invading her system before binding it to the scroll. She'd need more than a nap upon her return.

Haru turned abruptly, there it was again, that almost light budding of chakra. He went back to the hallways, intent on sweeping backwards for a moment. He didn't really expect to find anything, but it would annoy him not to check and see if it was his imagination. "Damn Nobaru, his paranoia's contagious." He muttered as he neared Tenten's hiding place.

Tenten nodded to herself. It was damn contagious. She waited patiently, confident that he would turn away and berate himself for allowing Nobaru's paranoia to affect him. She slid back silently into the shadows, keeping her scroll close. She heard him sigh, she felt his chakra spread through the room, trying to find whatever he believed was there. She even saw him frown slightly in the darkness, but from what she could tell, he felt nothing.

Haru's eyes narrowed slightly, he saw nothing, felt nothing, but in the darkness he was certain for only a moment…"There's something." He murmured softly to himself, getting closer and closer to a female he could not see or would have expected to see.

"Haru? What the hell are you doing, you're late to your rendezvous point with the team, we're all waiting." Tenten held in her sigh of relief when she heard a com crackle.

Groaning, Haru touched the com. "Thought I sensed something," he turned back and started away from Tenten's location, "it was nothing though. I'll be there in a few minutes."

Tenten squeezed her eyes shut while Haru walked away, she felt the chakra racing through her system. It was nauseating, painful, and it made it hard to control chakra. Forcing it out was as painful as simply suffering it, binding it made her head spin. _Note to self: Kill Neji when you get home_. She tried to work as fast as possible, well aware that she was rapidly losing control of her chakra. She'd need to get away from Haru, and wait until her chakra was completely under her control. Haru went on, further away and unaware of how close he had gotten to catching one of the elusive spies. If he had pressed on a bit further, if the com hadn't gone off…

Luckily for Tenten though, he ignored the tickle in his mind and gave it up to paranoia before leaving to meet the rest of his team. While he continued further away, she found the nearest vent and entered it. She slid back as far as she could in it and allowed herself to catch her breath, allowed herself time to fight off the aches that seemed to sear through each muscle.

After two hours alone, Neji groaned and put down scroll he was working with, before turning his glare to the cat. "No. I've been throwing your stupid mouse down the hall for the past two hours. Go find something else to do." Ryuu ignored the command. He remained still, staring intently at the male writing. He didn't know how long it had been since his female owner left, but for some reason, his male owner was always more irritable when she was gone. He let out a soft mew and stretched.

He rolled his eyes, dropping the mouse back on the floor. "Don't give me that look. I'm not worried. This is a difficult mission and it will take time." Ryuu only yawned, continued purring, and pawed at the scroll Neji had been reading. He liked scrolls, they made for perfect entertainment. They moved, they didn't yell at him for touching them, and again they moved!

"Don't touch that." Neji scolded, scooping the scroll out of reach of the kitten's wandering paws. "I'm trying to concentrate and work. Go do something else."

The cat whined as much as possible. His favorite object was removed from his reach, his male owner was being his irritable self, and his friendly female owner was still not home to lecture her male counterpart.

Neji in turn sighed and chucked the mouse down the hall again, maybe he should set up a target and test his accuracy with blunt objects…

The cat remained stubbornly still. He stared at Neji and the scroll. His toy had lost its luster, he wanted the scroll. "Stop that." Neji grumbled. It was always a bit unnerving for the cat to stare at him so intensely. "I'm not giving you the scroll. Go do something else until Tenten comes home." The cat raised a paw lightly to swat at the scroll. Letting out an audible sigh of frustration, Neji caved. He took a blank scroll and rolled it across the floor. "Go fetch." To Neji's horror, it only worked for a few minutes. Soon he was back on the couch, rubbing against his idle hand.

"Tenten must teach you to annoy me." He grumbled, patting the cat reluctantly. He wouldn't admit the cat was very good at it, so he turned his attention to the clock. _It's only been about two hours. _Tenten would be gone for several hours this time, and he'd be up the whole night waiting. He was sure he'd be both unable and unwilling to sleep until she returned. The cat curled up in a ball against Neji's side and purred contently. He'd sleep till his female master was late, and then his male master would rant and rave and be a frustrated lunatic.

Happy that the cat was finally leaving him alone, Neji went back to his work, writing was scrawled over pages of theories, possible plans, areas of interest, and by the time he took a break, a few more hours had passed and Tenten had still not arrived. The cat had long abandoned his post at Neji's side, and took a seat on the back of the couch. He enjoyed watching snow fall. Neji would have called the cat stupid, Tenten would have stated that he was just easily amused.

Sure enough… "Stupid cat. What are you looking at? The snow?" He threw a glance over the back of the couch to the falling snow outside. It was impossible to see the village, hell if one could even see the bare trees just outside. Neji was punished for his comment, the cat turned his attention away from the snow, jumped onto Neji's shoulders, and dug his claws in to stabilize himself. He purred loudly and rubbed his head against Neji's in greeting. The purr was like Ino's mocking, triumphant laughter.

Neji frowned at the pinpricks in the shoulder, barely feeling them through the thick layers he wore. "Stupid fur ball, get off of me." He picked up the cat and dropped him promptly on the floor. "Spoiled cat." He pushed the cat away with his foot and leaned back into the couch. "Stop being so antsy. She'll be home soon." The cat scurried away from the light nudge and then returned. He had learned to predict Neji's reactions early on. "Go away. If you do not stop attempting to try my patience, I will leave you out in the snow until you're buried."

The cat hissed and scurried away at roughly the same time the door opened and Tenten stumbled in. As soon as the door shut, she all but collapsed against it and was greeted by a small ball of fur meowing. Her head hurt so much she could barely keep her eyes open, her hearing was fuzzy, and she threw a scroll into the room. Part of her hoped it would hit Neji, and hit him very hard.

"I didn't hurt it." Neji protested, catching the scroll in hand before it struck him. Even worn out, without his reflexes, she'd have hit him. "How was it?" He asked before lifting her. She was exhausted and a bit dazed, but she didn't seem injured at all.

"Horrible." She managed to mutter. "Haru almost found me, it's kind of hard to mask binding chakra. I had to spend about..." She trailed off and held her breath. She felt a wave of dizziness pass as the remains of Haru's chakra finally seemed to dissipate. "about an hour or so, just recovering and getting his chakra out of my system."

"Rest." Neji said, laying her on the bed, and undressing her from the more uncomfortable layers. He ran a chakra warmed hand over her lightly clothed body, soothing her pained chakra points, and chasing out the last traces of Haru's chakra. Then, very carefully he replaced the expelled chakra with his own. "Did you complete your goal?" He asked, content with her strength for a short time.

Tenten pointed at the scroll he had set on the bed. "It's not enough though, I'm going to have to do this for a few weeks." She didn't want to do it again, she didn't like the feeling Haru's chakra produced. "I can't go out without a few days rest, I know the symptoms of chakra poisoning, and I know my reactions to his chakra are signs."

Neji frowned, activating his byakugan he pressed a hand to her shoulder and forced his chakra into her again, double checking to make sure she was purged of Haru's chakra. She did have some signs, her chakra points were severely aggravated, though not permanently damaged. "I can go in your place. You may have more experience but his chakra doesn't affect me as much as it does you."

"You won't be able to bind his chakra without getting caught. I've gotta do it, besides, you have to conceal your chakra, the jutsu's effects, as well as the gathering of Haru's chakra. Let's face it, that's a lot of work." The cat was purring next to her and rubbing his head against her shoulder, she could feel Neji's chakra, she could even feel her own starting to pick up. Even so, she shut her eyes and sighed, she'd need at least two full days to recover enough to do it again.

"Are you saying the job's too difficult for me Tenten?" Neji picked up Ryuu and placed him on the floor. He didn't need to be bothering Tenten. The more rest she got sooner, the better, as far as he was concerned.

"I don't want to risk you getting caught." She said quietly. She had no doubt that he was capable of doing the work, but she was more experienced. "I don't want something to happen to you." She leaned back against the pillows and bit her lip. Her headache wouldn't go away as quickly as the other aches had.

Neji ran his fingertips against her temples, soothing her pains away with the slightest amount of chakra. "And it's alright if I let you fall to chakra poisoning?" He asked, taking her chin lightly in hand and turning her face to look at him.

"I'm fine if I have time to recover." She argued. It was hard to argue with him looking at her like that. It was that expression few people saw, due to lack of looking him in the eyes enough to recognize concern in them. "I just need time."

"It'll be suspicious if you're always drained and sick in bed for days." Neji answered matter-of-factly, tucking Tenten in. "Your files say nothing of you being sickly."

She sat up abruptly. "Neji, I'll be fine, I can always argue that I just have a hard time adjusting to seasonal shifts." She had after all, had a difficult time adjusting when they first moved. "I can take care of it."

"We'll see how well you adjust to his chakra. I told you, I'll stop this if it gets too dangerous." He pushed her back to the mattress. "Just lay still and rest Tenten. I will hold you down if you won't listen and sleep."

Ryuu meowed quietly under the bed and it caused Tenten to blush faintly. "N-No that's ok..." Half of her was arguing that it wouldn't be so bad to let him hold her down, another half was trying to wave away the mental smoke that seemed to be clouding both her thoughts and judgment.

"If I let go, do you agree to not do anything and just get some rest?"Neji asked, frowning at Tenten. She was flushed...did she have a fever too? The last thing he wanted was for her to wind up with a fever only to find that they had no medicine again.

"Do you promise not to go running off trying to do my work?" It slipped out before she realized that his question was not up for debate. _So what's the loss? Worst case scenario he holds you down...all...night... _She could practically feel the heat in her cheeks.

"I won't any time soon." He assured her, loosening the grip on her so that her hands were free. He laid a hand on her forehead. "You don't feel like you have a fever." He noted, leaning on his other arm for support.

"Why would I have a fever?" She tried to smile. She counted down the seconds in her head, he'd point out her face was flushed, and that clearly she was blushing, but there was no logical reason to be blushing! Then the night would proceed to spiral out of control, and then...

"Your face is red." He answered, touching her warm cheeks. "It might just be from the stress if it isn't fever."

"Hehe..." She'd let him think what he wanted and she'd hold off on cursing his obliviousness. "Yeah probably just stress." She held in her sigh of relief. If Neji found out she was blushing, he'd avoid her. Oh he'd never let her live it down, she was sure, but he'd do his best to avoid her greatly for the remainder of the mission. Reluctant though she was to admit it, it scared her.

"You're delirious." He shook his head at her nervous giggles. "Sleep."

She asked if he'd stay up all night again, Tenten wanted him to just lay down and sleep, so that she could move closer and do what she could to hope his chakra could ward off nightmares too.

He told her he'd check the house first but told her to remain in bed. "I'm going to check the traps and wards, then I'll be back for you."

She smiled quickly and turned to bury her face into her pillow. It gave her butterflies in her stomach when he said stuff like that. _It's all that extra chakra you had to deal with, it's messing with your head. _"My head is still killing me." She mumbled into the pillow.

"Do you want me to get you medicine?" He offered, lighting the small lamp at his bedside rather than the room light.

"I'll live." She mumbled into the pillow.

"If you're sure." He brought the pills and a glass of water with him anyway, laying them on the bedside table. "Stay in bed tomorrow, alright Tenten?"

"What day is it tomorrow?" She turned onto her back and looked at him. He looked blurry with her headache.

"Saturday. I'll be here all day to keep you in bed if need be."

"I have to stay in bed all day?" She whined.

"Until you can look at me without squinting." Neji amended, knowing that wouldn't be the following day, possibly not even the day after.

"Ugh, no fair." She pulled a pillow over her face.

"Yes fair. You won't give me any complaints about it either unless you want me to make you Lee's secret soup." The nasty concoction and been pressed upon both of them in their childhood, it was their friend's miracle cure for everything from runny noses to bleeding ulcers. It was every bit as horrible as it looked, but strangely, it worked. Neji was certain it was all psychological. After one ate a bite of it, the body did its best to recover at a rapid pace to avoid a second helping.

The pillow Tenten had been hiding under was pulled away by her own hand quickly. "No, oh gods no, anything but that, you're not that cruel." It was a strange combination of things, it tasted terrible, but it worked. She didn't know what disturbed her more, the fact that it tasted as bad as it looked, or the fact that it actually did cure just about everything. She tried not to smile, a younger teenage version of her partner invaded her memory, cursing about the soup Lee had made them eat when they were severely fatigued. When Lee slept that night, he was muttering that the only reason he felt better, simply had to be a psychological response to the 'torture' that was Lee's cooking.

"He gave me the recipe." Neji said. He never had, he'd have never asked for it, but she didn't know that. It was adequate revenge on Tenten for teaching the cat to annoy him.

"What did I do to deserve that?" She pouted, very naturally. The idea of Neji threatening her with, of all things, the one food he said wasn't fit for human consumption, unnerved her.

"Even with how disgusting it is, you must admit it works. If nothing else, it'll allow you to get out of bed earlier." He wasn't going to let her know that he had his petty moments. He wasn't going to let her know that he enjoyed watching her beg him to be humane and spare her from Lee's food. Truth be told, the begging part was a lot more satisfying than it should have been.

"Oh come on," she pleaded, "whatever I did I'll make it up to you. Anything you want, I'll do it, just anything but that damn soup. That stuff is toxic, Neji."

"Then you will stay in bed and let me take care of you," Neji said firmly, pushing Tenten so she was lying on her back again. "especially if you intend to make a habit of this."

She ran a hand slowly up his arm and sighed in resignation. "Fine." She mumbled. She would not deny that she was irritated that she would have to allow him to take care of her, but she was flattered that he cared enough to do it. Neji would have told anyone else to just suck it up and deal with it, that all knowing voice in her head told her.

"Good. now get some rest. I shouldn't have to remind you to take care of yourself." He told her as he turned onto his side and closed his eyes.

Tenten nudged closer to Neji and rested against him. "Your chakra makes my head hurt less." She mumbled before he could say anything. It wasn't a lie either, his chakra did seem to negate the effect the small amount of Haru's caused. She wouldn't tell him that he was warm and that she was cold. She wouldn't tell him that she just wanted to be close to him. A logical reason was the best way to hide an irrational need to be close to him.

"All right, but I'm not going to spend all of tomorrow spooning you." He wrapped an arm around her, letting his chakra soak into her.

"I can lock you outside for a few hours, see if that changes your mind." She teased. It was still snowing and if anything it looked to be snowing more heavily than earlier.

"And I'll make soup when I get back in." Neji teased back, petting her hair gently and discreetly nudging the cat away.

"Leave the cat be, he's not doing any harm." She mumbled.

"It's been annoying. It doesn't get to sleep in our bed tonight."

"I think he'll be sleeping wherever he wants." Tenten answered, more than a hint of sleep creeping into her voice. She felt the cat curl up under the blankets near her abdomen.

"Fine." Neji sighed, letting Tenten nestle closer as she started to fall asleep. "Now rest. I won't say it again."

"You got it boss." She answered faintly before sleep set in. It was a comfortable sleep, a type Tenten was not quite as familiar with. It was deep, dreamless, and she slept without so much as a fidget.

Neji was up a bit longer though, he watched her breathe and he counted out each of her heartbeats against his own chest. Once contented that she wasn't going to disappear in the middle of the night, he closed his eyes and let himself fall asleep as well.

It was the ever rambunctious Ryuu, that woke them in the early hours in the morning. The small cat whined to be pet, and pawed relentlessly at Neji's hand followed immediately by purring in Tenten's ear and pawing at her bangs.

Neji groaned, usually being up at such an hour was standard and accepted routine for him, but he hadn't gotten to sleep until only a few hours prior. "I'm going to kill it." He muttered, a hand reaching up to shove his hair out of his face. Tenten didn't budge, she only let out a soft moan of disapproval at the warmth that suddenly moved, and continued to sleep. Grumbling, Neji extracted himself from the warm bed, and cursed silently as his feet touched the cold floor. He quickly grabbed food from the cupboard. "Here, now leave us alone." Ryuu purred happily at the offering of food and ate in peace, allowing Neji to return to the bedroom.

The cat had learned only a few things in his time with his owners. If you wanted to eat, you simply had to be persistent in the mornings. If you wanted to be pet, you had to be cute with the female, and persistent as hell with the male. If you wanted to get away with anything, you played innocent with the female and tormented the male. If the cat had known that Neji was blaming Tenten for teaching it to be that way, he might have stopped his behavior, but it was feline nature to take advantage of anything available.

Down the hall, cursing the cat seven ways to hell, he crawled back into bed, willingly cuddling Tenten for warmth.

"Need to, feed cat." She mumbled quietly. She was starting to wake, despite her desire not to.

"Already did, go back to sleep." He closed his eyes, tucking her head under his neck for the added warmth. There was no denying she was just the right height and slept in exactly the right position to do so comfortably.

She whispered her thanks and closed her eyes, trying to will herself to go back to sleep, and finding herself unable to do so. She had slept the full night, and it was hard for her to oversleep. "Did you sleep at all?" She asked quietly.

"Not enough. Stop wiggling." Usually she was content to sleep the day away. So naturally, she chose the one time he wanted to sleep in to be awake.

She smiled slightly and remained silent. All she had to do to avoid Lee's soup was rest, this time she'd have to do it silently for him. She'd let him sleep till noon at least, that way she could chuckle at him being frustrated for sleeping too long.

Neji was soon asleep again, warm beneath the quilts and wanting nothing else but the warmth. His face wrinkled with dreams, murmuring softly in words too soft to hear if Tenten's ear wasn't inches from his mouth.

This is a test, she decided, a test to see how much I can handle before I go absolutely insane here. If Neji kept that up, it would take all she had to remain silent. What was he saying anyway? Half of it was too quiet to hear, even with him so close. Neji fell back to silence soon enough, even a deeper sleep, except a few more murmurs in Tenten's hair and a soft sigh of supposed pleasure as he slept.

The cat soon enough made his way back and curled up to sleep on her pillow. She could hear his purring, but it didn't distract her enough from her thoughts. Whatever Neji was dreaming, he sure as hell was enjoying it. It made her cheeks turn the faintest shade of red. His occasional murmur or sigh made her blush more each time before she was able to force the first blush away.

Her thoughts continued to wander. First it started with what it would be like to have his bare body against hers, him murmuring indistinctly followed by one of those searing kisses to whatever flesh was exposed... and then she imagined her mother bursting into the room with intense glee at the situation. She bit a soft fit of laughter back, and admitted to herself, that she missed her mother, so much even that it was intruding a perfectly good start to a sexual fantasy.

"Hm?" Neji yawned, waking at the vibration of Tenten's laughter. "What's so amusing?" he blinked down at her.

"Sorry, I didn't mean to wake you up." She was smiling though, the mental picture still vivid in her mind.

"It's fine. I need to get up anyway." He sat up, stretching. "What were you giggling about?"

She decided to lie, rather convincingly, having decided that she didn't want Neji to avoid being near her because of her amusing thought process. "I missed my mom, I kinda pictured her just bursting in here and cooing about how adorable you are when you sleep." She smirked. "She would, you know she would. She'd probably move the cat closer to you though, so it looked like you were cuddling a stuffed cat while you slept." It was a very convincing lie. Her mother would have done it for sure.

: "... I do not cuddle in my sleep. Sadly, I feel I've already had this conversation with your mother."He darkened, though he remained in bed, he sat up a bit more recalling the odd conversation with her mother.

Her eyes seemed to brighten in amusement. "You did?"

"Yes. For some reason we were discussing your stuffed dog and it went on to how you sleep with it as a child and wanting to know if i had any 'cherished plush friend from my childhood."

Tenten's cheeks brightened. "She told you about that?"

"Your mother told me a lot of things about you that I had no real desire to learn."

Tenten paused, the long silence hung between them before she gulped. "Like?"

"When you were a baby, your family went to the lake and you carried a frog in your diaper." Neji watched Tenten pale. He could imagine the mortified conversation going on in her head, she was probably questioning how her mother could embarrass her in such a way.

He shook his head. "You dad told me the story about how you ran naked through grocery stores."

Tenten winced. _Dad! You too? _Tenten looked mortified.

"You were three at the time I believe. Such things happen with small children."He assured her.

Tenten did not feel any better by his assurance. "Yeah well...Hinata told me enough stories about you so...meh." She crossed her arms and hoped her face would not remain as red as it felt.

"My stories are not nearly as interesting." He hadn't even met Hinata face to face until he was four and mostly out of the embarrassing stage of life.

"Your uncle told her some good ones." She said with a dark smirk.

"I never hid slimy creatures in my undergarments or appeared nude in public." He shot back.

"Hinata showed me pictures of you, butt naked as a toddler, getting a bath." She didn't know if she wanted to mortify him by telling him that Hanabi had shown Ino and Sakura, who promptly showed just about everyone they knew. "Hinata said when you were two, according to your uncle, you ran around the entire Hyuuga compound, naked, and muddy, laughing the whole way. It apparently took four people to catch you eventually."

"I was a prodigy even at that young age." He said solemnly, slipping out of bed and away from the conversation.

"Ino showed half the village the pictures of you naked as a toddler." She countered.

"Pretty, pretty princess party at the age of 2."

"Yeah, two. I didn't get to argue with my mom at that age." She smirked. "I'm pretty sure you could fight back at four when someone took a picture of you in the bathtub."

"Ballet classes." He knew her mother had tried to force her to keep those until her genin days, and had managed to keep her in them until the age of at least nine.

"Those paid off, I can bend better than the others and I have superior balance." She smiled. Why were they trying to embarrass each other anyway? "I have pictures of you with your hair in pigtail braids, with Hinata putting pink bows and sparkle clips in." Her grin grew increasingly wicked. "If I'm not mistaken, you're at least fourteen in that picture."

"That was me being a kind, caring older brother figure." He said stiffly. After he stopped hating Hinata, they had become somewhat friends. "I'm gong to make breakfast now."

Tenten laughed on the bed. "Yeah because your 'I'm going to kill her' expression just radiates kind and caring."

"I was being nice, I never said I enjoyed it." He paused on his way down the hall and called over his shoulder. "We're having soup for breakfast."

"Hey I'm resting! I'm just enjoying it in the process, you can't punish me for that!"

"I already started making it." Clear soup, but Tenten didn't need to know that yet. She would feel worlds better with a good warm meal in her.

"Oh come on, I gave Ino hell for the showing Konoha the pictures deal you know? Doesn't that earn me some points?"

He told her only that he was being merciful, and she had after all been squinting at him. He sliced the mushrooms as thin as he could without Tenten pointing out that he could have gone a half millimeter thinner.

Tenten flopped back on the bed and groaned in defeat. "What were you dreaming about?" She called down the hall.

"I don't remember." Neji answered, truthful. He didn't think he was dreaming much of anything, but he was quite satisfied by his sleep. It was more refreshing than normal, probably had been deeper due to his exhaustion. "Why, did you have more interesting ones?"

"I didn't dream at all." She answered truthfully. "I was glad, I was hoping for no nightmares. You were just mumbling in your sleep, so I thought you might have been having an odd dream."

"I don't talk in my sleep Tenten.'" He reminded her, soon she'd be on to his secret, she'd know it wasn't Lee's soup, but just typical clear soup, with a small bowl of rice.

"I said you mumbled." She corrected with a smirk. The house wasn't filled with odd smells yet, so maybe, she reasoned, she was getting off the hook.

"I do not mumble either." Neji said, adding scallions, aware that she liked the flavor of them in just about any soup she ate.

He did too, she more or less muttered quietly to herself while the cat sniffed the air from his perch on her fluffiest pillow. Neji returned a few minutes later with jasmine tea and medicine for her.

Tenten stared the pills he held in his hand for her. "I'm not dying you know?" She tried to smile but she could feel the pain still in some of her muscles. There was no question about it, early signs of faint chakra poisoning always started with muscle aches around the chakra points before it seeped into the system. When it did that the pain was unbearable until the chakra was purged, and there was usually permanent damage to muscle, chakra network, and the internal organs where the chakra concentrated.

"I can tell you're in pain, even though you're doing your best to hide it. Take them." He watched her sigh reluctantly, take the pills in hand, and do as she was told. She washed them down with a sip of tea and smiled slightly. He had been careful to make the tea only warm. "Good." He said nodding for her to lay down until he was done cooking.

Sinking into the pillows, she breathed out slowly. She didn't like being ill, or in pain, she didn't like being told she was supposed to rest. She looked at the cat that simply blinked up at her with blue eyes. She was starting to think she should have just put up her fight last night, being held down all night would have been enjoyable at least. "Could be worse I guess." She told the cat while scratching his ears.

The cat purred and rubbed against her for a few seconds, scurrying off as Neji returned with a tray and two steaming bowls, with smaller bowls of rice beside them. Tenten perked up suddenly. That smell was not the horrible smell of Lee's outrageous concoction. "That's not Lee's." She said in surprise.

"I said I was making soup. I didn't specify what kind." Neji allowed himself a pleased smirk as he laid the tray in Tenten's lap

She smiled slightly. "Cute." Neji's soup, was a major improvement from the thought of eating Lee's. Neji's was at least edible. Hell, it was actually good. "I'll remember this though."

"Remember me making you wonderful meal that you'll enjoy?" He asked, taking his own bowl. It was a nice change of pace to be difficult with her. She was so often difficult with him, she had it coming every month or so.

"I'll remember you making me think you were going to feed me Lee's." She corrected with a cheerful smile. She'd remember what he said as well.

"I never said that i was making you Lee's soup. It's no fault of mine if you jump to conclusions."

"How are you feeling?" He asked, watching her sip her soup with a content smile and picking out the nearly paper thin shiitake and fu with her chopsticks to enjoy.

"Better than last night, by a long shot." She answered after another sip of soup.

"Can you still feel the effects of the poisoning?" He couldn't feel any traces of Haru in her, but she could still be suffering the ill effects of chakra poisoning.

"The aches and I'm still a bit dizzy." She admitted. Her vision was still a little fuzzy too. "I'll be ok though. I think Haru was in a foul mood yesterday. He almost found me, so I had to bear more of his chakra than I should have had to.." She was still thanking that com for going off when it did.

"You'll just have to be more discrete then." Neji sipped his soup and ate his own rice, content that the cat wasn't rude enough to bother him while eating on the bed at least.

"He was being too careful, it wasn't like him. He's probably spending too much time with Nobaru. Haru never so much as glanced our way when I was trying to keep us hidden. There's no reason he should have even suspected anything was there."

"They're all paranoid and on edge with all the murders going on. It doesn't surprise me that he took more notice of you. As long as he doesn't suspect you, that's all that matters."

"I don't think he does, everyone seems to be more concerned with who's killing people off, rather than what else might be down there." She answered softly. The meal was doing her good already, it made her feel a tad bit more energetic, despite the pain her muscles were still in. She was sure the medicine would get to work relatively quickly though.

"He doesn't suspect Amaya, he didn't find you, nor did he keep looking for you. It's fine for now."

When she finished eating she set the empty bowl aside and laid back on the bed. Neji never got too worried about anything. Neji was never uncertain, and when he was, he never showed it. "Yeah." She said quietly, even though she didn't think that things were fine.

"The mission will go on as planned. Everything will be fine." His words were firm and confident. "Now try to sleep; even if you don't feel like it."

She sighed in annoyance. She wasn't tired at all, she knew how Naruto felt all those times he refused to rest when he didn't feel tired. "I'm not sleepy."

"Close your eyes and pretend to sleep then." Neji said, starting to straighten up the room.

She did exactly the opposite. She laid in bed and stared out the windows at the snow while petting the cat. She could hear him cleaning. He started in their room, then moved through the house doing her usual work.

Neji cursed to himself as he found socks and cat toys in odd places. With an irritated roll of his eyes, he went on to the kitchen and living room. When he did return to the bedroom and noted that Tenten was awake, he voiced a curiosity. "Why does the cat keep dragging random socks under the couch?"

She shrugged. It sounded like one of those strange unexplainable pet behaviors to her. "Lee had a squirrel do it once."

"He acts like he's killing it." Neji muttered, watching Ryuu pull a sock from his hands before pawing, biting, and eventually dragging it away under the bed.

"Predator instinct I guess." She laughed before she crawled under the covers head first. She kicked her legs back and forth in the air and remained hidden from sight from the knee up. "Let's see now," her muffled voice only slightly carried through the blankets and the faint sound of a scroll opening could be heard, "I can still feel this even though it's contained in the scroll, if I can feel it, chances are someone else might be able to. So..." There was a sound of something being scrawled hastily.

"What are you doing?" He asked, watching the moving lump under the blankets. he knew 'what' she was doing, but why was she doing it when he had told her insistently and repeatedly to rest?

"Sealing this better. It will get us caught, and it will make me feel worse if I don't." If every time she opened the scroll, it was comparable to suffering a direct assault of Haru's chakra, what was the point of sealing it in a scroll? "If I'm going to keep doing this, I need to make a stronger seal to trap this chakra. The one I made last night was hastily made, I won't deny it. I was in a rush to get back before I passed out in a snow drift."

"I told you if it felt like too much, to abandon the mission." Neji scolded, though he admitted he could feel the tingle of chaotic, violent chakra as well.

"Well in a few minutes, no one's going to be able to detect this, that's for sure." She traced her finger intricately across the scroll and cursed to herself. She was almost out of ink, which meant she'd have to make more, but even as she cursed that fact a slight burst of her chakra sealed the scroll. "There we go." She stuck her hand out from under the covers with the scroll and told him to take it downstairs. Her own chakra dissipated and she was pleased that she couldn't feel the slightest flicker of Haru's chakra. "Admit it, I'm good."

"At what?" Neji asked with a slight smirk, taking the scroll down to the basement and placing it with over a dozen others. Most were blank or with basic techniques scrawled in them regarding chakra binding, manipulation, and the release of chakra. When he returned he regarded her a kind and almost proud look that she'd miss under the blankets. "Though I will admit, you did do your job very well."

She tossed the blanket off her and stretched out. "I'm good at everything, it's ok, you can admit it. I know, it's hard to deal with." She teased with a smile.

"Mm. Even if I refuse to cook dinner from now on?"

"Eh..." She faltered.

Neji smirked and grabbed the laundry.

"Being able to cook better than me does not mean you win!" She yelled down the hall. She could always just give the kitten more of Neji's clothes to play with if he wanted to play it that way.

"Yes it does." Neji called back, separating the clothes and starting the washing machine.

It was decided, she'd give the cat access to his clothes if he was going to play the superior route. She lightly dangled one of his folded shirts over the edge of the bed and smirked when it vanished almost instantly, tugged from her by the playful cat.

"Whatever you're teaching the beast, stop it. I'll lock him outside if you teach him anything worse than

you've already done."

"I'm not teaching him a thing." She defended, she hadn't taught the cat a thing after all, she merely took advantage of the cat's nature.

"You are too." He muttered turning on the washer and returning to the room. "Did you find anything out while you followed Haru?"

"They have a set rendezvous point every night, they work in teams of four to sweep the levels. There was an attempted assassination, a failed one. The person doesn't remember who attacked them. Taiki was able to save them." She looked down slightly. It bothered her that whoever it was, was not focusing on ninja now. "It was a villager, from the lower villages around the mountains, one who was in the shelters."

"Are they sure it's connected?" The murders so far had been researchers, nin with high access levels. Even the lower level nin where left alone so far. "It doesn't seem to fit their plans at all, killing a villager."

"They think the man might have known who it was. Nobaru insisted on questioning him when they started the sweep, but Taiki yelled at him and said the man barely survived and doesn't remember any of it, he can't even remember his own name."

"Subconscious memories. They might find something if they got a mental specialist who could prod." Haru would have been able to do it, though he wouldn't be nearly as gentle as what Taiki would insist upon.

"I doubt Taiki would let it happen at all. The way it sounded, he was in really bad shape." Tenten stretched out again and sighed. It would be another day of rest, she was sure, before Neji let her go out again. "At least I'm making a splendid recovery huh?"

"I haven't had to hold you down and force feed you yet." Neji agreed, sitting on the bed, and reclaiming the 'dead' sock.

"If you want to try, be my guest, sick or not, I'm not gonna be held down for long."

"You want me to shove soup down your throat?" He asked sitting back against the pillows on his side of the bed.

"I ate it all." She tried not to smile too much. Being force fed was humiliating, being held down though...

"I can make more." He took the bowl to the kitchen, placing it in the sink. She called to him that he was full and he rolled his eyes and washed the dishes. "I just did the dishes." He muttered upon his return. "No need to feed you again."

Her eyes drifted to the window, the snow was nearly up to the windows. It was amazing they weren't snowed in. "Never snowed like this in Konoha." She muttered, watching the wind whip the flakes around before allowing them to settle.

Neji sighed at the words. He's be out shoveling the sidewalk again the next morning. Or at the least, using a jutsu to clear the pathways. "Konoha has a much lower altitude than this village, it's natural that there would be more snow, since we are in the mountains, and the temperature here is far lower than Konoha ever would get to."

"I know." She said quietly. Still it was hard to get used to seeing. She smiled abruptly. Lee would be building massive snowballs to train with, which would result in her throwing a snowball at him. Lee would drop his massive snowball, she would point at Neji, and Lee would believe her. It had happened at least once in the past that she could recall.

"What are you smiling about?" He asked handing her the tea he had refilled while doing the dishes.

"The snowball fight I started." She had won, without the slightest difficulty. Having the best aim always helped in snowball fights. Neji deflected all that he could until he ran out of chakra and was forced to resort to attempting to hit her with snowballs. Lee was bombarded with snowballs almost continuously. Speed advantages meant little on snow and ice.

"I remember." It was one of the rare times that training and sparring turned to play fights. "You were winning well enough, until Gai-sensei joined in."

"I beat him too. He never hit me once. I hit him a good five times." She crossed her arms. "Then he started making that massive snowball..." She and Neji took off, Lee had insisted that he could make one just as big, and could use it again for training. "We dodged a messy one there."

"They were both sick for days, and they did break some fences with those ridiculous snowballs."He chuckled softly, remembering that report.

"Yeah and we had to help fix the broken fences." It was fun though, good times when they were was the winter they became chuunin, just fifteen. "Feels like it was forever ago, even though it wasn't much more than five years ago."

"About a quarter of our lives." He said, sitting next to her to look out the window. "It may as well have been forever ago."

She confessed to cheating in their snowball fight. The few times she had actually hit Neji before he began deflecting all of her snowballs, she had purposely aimed for the one spot she knew he would never see it coming. "I remember when we were assigned our team, and I first found out that you couldn't see everything I threw at you. I almost hit you, probably could have seriously injured you." She had tackled him to the ground when she realized that he wasn't moving because he couldn't see her attacks from a very certain angle. "You yelled at me." She laughed. "You were really mean about it too, swore me to secrecy on the spot."

"One usually does not react well to having their weaknesses discovered and exploited." Neji explained, stretching out. "I was mad, You shouldn't have been able to find out about that...not so quickly."

"I'm glad I found it before someone else did." She answered. Her eyes dropped to the blankets. "Better me in that spot than an enemy, took you forever to just accept that you could trust me." Forever, of course meant nearly a year, but in terms of getting people to trust her, Neji was a challenge.

"I couldn't trust you at first. I didn't know you then." In retrospect, he came to trust her more rapidly than anyone. It surprised him how quickly he was able to find himself comfortable with his teammate. She was one of the only people he remembered ever finding a level of consistent comfort with.

Tenten brought up a whole list of amusing memories she had of the pair of them. The first time he said 'thank you' out loud to her, the first time he asked her specifically to train with him, the first time they stayed out all night and earned themselves major lectures, she even brought up the first time they had a 'real' mission. Her laughter broke up her sentences. "A-and we were up all night trying to sleep, and trying not to laugh at Gai for snoring so loud, and Lee for sleep talking about five hundred more sit ups." She sipped her drink and laughed into her cup. "They actually asked us if we were feeling 'young and sassy' in the morning."

"We looked like we had been up the whole night. It prompted Gai-sensei to try and give us 'the talk' at out next training session." Then, the thought of doing something like that with Tenten had simply been inconceivable. On top of that, it was the most embarrassing conversation he'd endured up to that point in his life. Currently though, it seemed to be a persistent thought that drifted to the forefront of his mind when he was exhausted or stressed.

"Your face was so red." Tenten smirked. "You kept trying to tell him he was delusional, and nothing happened but you kept stuttering." Neji never stuttered. It was the one time she could remember him tripping over his words completely due to sheer embarrassment.

"I was... surprised to say the least. The thought had never crossed my mind, and it never occurred to me that others may think it."A small smile teased the corner of his lips. "Then he spoke of how we should not spoil Lee with out wicked, carnal ways."

"Yeah, then I opened my big mouth and got sarcastic." Tenten rubbed the back of her head lightly. Her smile was one of pure satisfaction. "I made him turn red at least. I guess I have myself to blame for Kakashi asking if I did anything kinky with my weapons huh?"

"The visualization you showed with the kunai and the shuriken certainly didn't help matters."

"I didn't think so...I probably shouldn't have said you should just tie me up with wire and cut off my clothes with kunai next time." She laughed. At twelve she had been a bit bold, but being blunt with Gai often shut him up long enough for them to make an escape. "I never thought anyone would take me seriously, I was kidding."

It sounded like something out of Jiraiya-san's perverted novels then something two kids would do.

He nodded his agreement, they were just crazy to assume that a pair of kids, especially the two of them, would behave in such a way. She added suddenly that she didn't like the idea of random people entertaining sexual fantasies about her with her weapons.

"I suddenly share your pain." She mumbled finishing her tea. "I have my own stalkers now."

"No you don't. You don't get love notes from 8 year olds."

"Actually..." She reached under her pillow and pulled out one. "From one of the boys in your class." She chuckled.

He shook his head, taking the note. "And why were you keeping it under your pillow?" He raised an eyebrow in question.

"I got it yesterday, I was going to show you when I got back, but I was too worn out." The note was only slightly crumpled. "I really wanted you to see the spelling, hehe and the flattery. This one's really got some talent, maybe he could give Jiraiya a run for his money in writing."

"He's going to 'kiss you with his tongue' and 'caress your soft breasts with his hands.' " Neji bit back the chuckle that wanted to come out. It was good for an 8 year old, but seriously childish and foolish none the less. The kids here were very obviously perverse little things.

"He's eight, he knows what breasts are, and 'tongue kissing' too. Seriously, what are these kids learning at home?" She could see the best attempts Neji could put up to not laugh. "I know they talk about robbing the cradle, but these kids of yours are damn near trying to rob the grave." She couldn't imagine what kinds of things she'd be reading from the kids if they were there a few years in the future. "I can't imagine what I'd be reading if they were twelve..."

"Sakura and Ino never showed you their love notes to Sasuke or anything?" He remembered how giggling girls would give them to him, as though he could not see them huddling around the silly girl who wrote him one.

"Not really." She admitted. She had always very carefully avoided those things, having found them too girly, and far too embarrassing. "I never wrote any myself, so I never got invited to giggle-fests."

He was amazed that she hadn't even been invited for spell checking purposes, and was mortified to find out that Hinata had been recruited for such a purpose. His previous smirk turned into a frown. "Hinata saw those letters?" It had to have been mortifying, being a young girl, reading bad love letters to her older cousin that she believed hated her.

"Yeah I saw a few love letters to you, Lee was given a few by some embarrassed girl to give to you and well, we couldn't help ourselves." Some of his letters sounded like the one she had received but some were mildly more obscene. Girls did mature faster than boys, even knowing that, sometimes it shocked her. "Girls in our class were really obsessed with doing some very unmentionable things to you." She nodded.

Neji nodded, he could remember the worst of the notes. They were often thrown away without being read,unless the girl stood there and demanded he read it. It had been the fastest way to get rid of them. "You wouldn't believe some of the things they said. One wrote me a seventeen page novel of what our wedding night would be like."

"Oh, I bet that was a fun read." She muttered. It was probably something like a dirty movie Ino had made her watch, probably even more graphic.

"She referred to her private parts as a 'glistening lily' I think." Neji grimaced as he forced the words out.

Tenten burst out laughing instantly. "B-better than the-the one Lee and I s-spared you from haha." Girls were so stupid when trying to win over a male's affections. "The 'blossoming rose of love' was worse I think."

"Did it spread open from the warmth of my questing fingers, causing her to whimper and shake as her petals spread for me. the dew coating my fingertips as she trembled with excitement?"

Tenten's eyes widened. "Wow, I think we intercepted one of her earlier letters to you." Her lips quirked into a smirk. "Yeah...that was it, word for word."

"She had different versions?" Neji asked, incredulous. "Different versions of that horrible story?" It was wrong on every conceivable level, disturbing, horrifying even, that someone would have different versions of the same disturbing letter. "You two were able to find it?" Neji gently rubbed his temple. If they had seen it, who could say who else knew about it?

She nodded and lightly pat him on the shoulder. "Tough break Neji. Really tough break."

"At least that was the worst one." He said calmly. At the very least, it was best to know that those had been the worst of the letters. No letters had ever trumped that for him.

"Yeah this one by the eight year old is the only one I've actually re-" She blinked and stared at Neji. "How many did you and Lee keep me from reading?" He had said he and Lee had been looking out for her, and that they hadn't stopped.

"Only a few dozen. After the first attempt, the boys usually gave up." The other male youths were commonly discouraged from Tenten, due in part to the white fury of the Hyuuga and the springtime of youth Konoha's second green beast always was raving about.

"Intimidation factor really pays off I guess." She smiled, taking a few seconds to admire his profile. "How bad were they? And don't you dare try to tell me that Lee didn't read one or two."

"Mostly they were either blunt and to the point, slightly threatening, or bad attempts at love serenades." He muttered. The threatening ones incurred Neji's wrath most often. He did not like at all, someone threatening his partner, especially because they were foolish enough to believe that he would do nothing about it. Lee usually had tears in his eyes over the bad serenades but responded quickly to the blunt comments and letters.

Ryuu was sitting by the window pawing at the snow outside the glass and Tenten's eyes lingered on the young cat. His childlike nature made her smile slightly. "Threatening? How...attractive." She turned over to lay on her back. "Better than the blossoms of love I guess though." She still couldn't help but laugh.

_Or the starlight of desire_. He thought, recalling one of the love ballad ones for Tenten with a small shake of his head.

"Ah well, I guess we both got some pretty lame ones huh?" She leaned half way off the bed and watched the cat. It made her smile more to watch him so frustrated by the snow he was unable to touch. It was the same youthful, curious nature of a young child, and it made her feel strangely warm.

"Horrible ones." Neji agreed lying down beside her on the bed. The cozy feeling was contagious he guessed. Talking over their strange memories was something that only was relaxing with her.

"It could have been worse." She offered. It always could have been worse. The letters could have been from Nobaru, she told him.

"... Yes. In that regard, it could have been much worse." Tenten didn't know about the love letters he got from men, and he planned to keep it that way.

It was a long day of mostly strange memories, a discussion that Neji wouldn't dare engage in with many people. Tenten was always pleased that she was able to get him to talk about things, especially when every so often they made him smirk or even chuckle quietly. They'd speak for hours at length about individual topics, something Neji never would dream of doing with most people. To Neji, short and to the point had always been preferable to a long conversation with an idiot. His eyes occasionally drifted to her, her chakra was steadily returning to normal, and he watched her smile at the ceiling. "I kind of wish my mom could see it snow like this. I think she'd like it, after she got over the fact that we share a bed every single night."

"She'd be too busy poking through out things, making dinner, and bugging us about the lack of grandchildren to see the snow." He looked down at the cat tugging at his sock."And cooing over the fur ball."

"Yeah, I guess she would be more concerned about the lack of grandchildren." She pat the bed to encourage Ryuu to come to her.

"And for some reason, I don't think she'd accept the cat as our adopted child." Neji added with a quick glance at the cat.

"Definitely not." Tenten smiled. It was late afternoon and already dark out. "Wha...have we been talking that long?"

We did wake up around midday." Neji pointed out, standing up. "I'll get dinner started. Anything in particular you want?"

"Soup sounds good." She told him, not wanting him to go too far with food. Soup sounded perfect. "Helps with the cold." She nodded to the window.

: "Clear, miso, or that spicy sweet crap you like?" He asked heading down the hall.

"Clear or miso sounds great." She called before stretching out again on the bed. She stared at the cat pawing around the blanket beside her. "I'm going to have to resist the urge to strangle every one of those brats he teaches." She told the cat quietly. _I should NOT be getting jealous over eight year olds sending him love notes! It's not like they have a chance!_

Neji made more soup quickly, thanking good fortune that there had been so much left overs that allowed him to easily make a second batch. Once the soup was hot, he filled two bowls and got prepared some tea. He also opened another can of food for the cat, hoping it would eat that and leave them alone.

Tenten watched the cat scamper away and she rolled her eyes. Neji probably had placed more food out for him. Her head was nowhere near as fuzzy as it had been the night before, and she could actually smell the soup, where hours earlier she could not.

"Dinner." Neji announced, brining in the tray, two bowls of steaming soup sitting along with some rolled treat.

Tenten sat up promptly and smiled, then her eyes caught sight of what else he brought in. "Where did you..." He didn't make it, that was for sure, he had to have bought them, more than likely on his way home from the academy the previous evening. If there was one thing Neji couldn't make it was those rolls her mom made. It had always bothered Neji that Hinata, at sixteen had learned how to make them, but for some reason he couldn't make them just right. It was the one thing both of them could not make. Taking a backseat to Hinata in cooking was easy for Tenten, it was an ego blow for Neji.

"A present from one of the mothers." He caught her fallen jaw. He could cook wonderfully, but he admitted that when it came to baking, he was better off buying most packaged goods. Annoying, but he would admit to it. Reaching over he clunked her jaw shut when she did nothing but blink. "Soup?" He offered.

"Huh?" She blinked a few more times when she realized his hand was still holding her jaw shut. "Oh! Yeah, thanks." She tried to smile, but was still too stunned. He knows I have a sweet tooth, he knows I love those...just like he knows I like sesame buns and dumplings. Her cheeks were a bit red. "Sorry, spacing out. I haven't had one of those in years."

"Your mother doesn't make them for you anymore?" maybe she took his hatred for the pastery a little too far?

: "She still makes them, just only for special events. I'm usually on missions durring them. They never last long with dad around."

"She'll have to make some for you when we go home then, won't she? Neji said, sitting down and taking how bowl

"If that's not a special occasion, I'm going to have a long talk with her." She laughed took her bowl. "Though, she probably will argue that it's special but would be more special if I came home married with two kids."

"two years isn't even enough time to have two kids. Not unless I impregnate you a few weeks after you give birth. I'd have had to have gotten you pregnant months ago..."

Tenten almost choked on her soup. Almost. She coughed lightly and laughed. "Mom wouldn't care."

"It doesn' t sound healthy, and it would be exhausting. Imagine, being pregnant and huge with a ten month old clinging to you."

"The ten month old part doesn't sound too bad. I babysat for the lady next door. It was fun." She shrugged.

"Babies are not fun." Neji wrinkled his nose. He remembered their D rank missions of baby sitting screaming, dirty, snot nosed babies and children.

"Mom said every guy says that, till he has one of his own." She nodded sagely and ate her soup with a smile. Neji would argue, she was sure.

"I'm not going to have children, so my opinion doesn't need to change."

"I know." Her mom would have cried at that answer. She however, was starting to get used to it. She didn't like it though, part of her mind was screaming that Neji would have been one of the best fathers in the village. She didn't continue on with the subject, knowing he would rather avoid talking about it.

"And don't try that 'you'd be the best father' thing. I can't stand kids and don't know what to do with them. If I did become a father, I wouldn't know what to do, let alone be a good one." he would be able to keep it alive well enough. He had his doubts on training it to function on its own.

"I didn't say anything." She reminded him.

"You were thinking it."

"You learn to be a parent by example, in the time your father was with you, he was a good father, you loved him." She finished her soup and avoided looking at him. She'd probably get lectured for saying what was on her mind. "Everything you'd need to know to be a good father, you already know. Your father taught you to be a good man, I know he taught you well enough how to be a good father." With that she stared at the covers. Now she just had to wait for him to say something that would ruin a perfectly good day.

"Unfortunately I didn't have as much of a chance as I would have like to, to learn from him." the words were calm, but devoid of much emotion. Tenten knew that it was a sore spot for him, and that though he had come to terms with the manner of his father's death, he still disliked speaking about it. "No matter what you believe Tenten, I do not believe I would be a parent, and will never be able to find out."

"I know." She repeated quietly. There wasn't much Tenten could say she hated, but she hated hearing his voice like that. It was like dealing with twelve year old Neji. She had spent long enough dealing with cold, distant Neji. "I know."

Neji mechanically ate his meal in silence. Why did she insist on bringing up unpleasant subjects? It was like she was trying to fix him when he wasn't broken. His opinions differed from hers, he hoped she'd respect him enough to leave it at that.

The cat arrived a few minutes later and hopped up onto the bed. He sniffed Tenten's soup before curling up in a ball. She scratched the cat's head and ate in silence. Typical end to a good day, it was always her fault that things just came up, always her fault that he took it like a child, and she understood. She didn't blame him, she never did after all. There was only one thing left to do, apologize for something she wasn't entirely at fault for. "I'm sorry." She mumbled.

"It's fine Tenten." Neji brushed off the apology like the conversation had been nothing but mildly unpleasant. "Do you need anything?"

"I'll be fine. I feel much better." She finished her soup let the cat sniff the treat he had brought. She could forgive him for the occasional flare ups of 'childhood jerk-mode,' as Ino called it, for his usually pleasant and often kind behavior.

"Good." He picked up the pastry and carefully seperated it into two pieces, giving one to Tenten and keeping the other half himself. He ate it cautiously, not a great fan of sweets himself. Banana rolls weren't too bad though, and Tenten could eat just about anything.

"Almost as good as mom's. Not too sweet, just enough flavor." Tenten ate her half much faster than Neji. She was far more willing to go out on a limb to try things. The cat was willing as well, he poked his head up to sniff Tenten's half.

"Don't even think about it." Neji moved the cat to another pillow. "You are not allowed to eat people food."

"He was just smelling it." The cat cried pathetically and Tenten defended him.

"Last time he was 'just smelling' something, he licked it." Neji hadn't been happy about that. He had to throw away his entire meal because there was cat spit on it. "And I only moved him to your pillow. I didn't put him on the floor or anything."

"Yeah, I guess that earns you some points." She smiled. The cat having lost the battle with his male owner, curled up in a ball. Neji in turn, nodded and set his share aside.

Tenten looked from the cat, still curled up on her pillow, to Neji. "He listened to you." The cat did not approach the half eaten treat, he remained quiet and in the exact place Neji had placed him.

"Good. It means he's finally learning something."

Her eyes moved again from the cat to Neji. "It's like you two are competitive with each other." The cat poked his head up and stared at her. She was certain it was a mirror image of Neji's 'you must be joking' expression.

"You must be joking Tenten. It simply knows that it needs to listen to me."

"Heh, yeah totally joking." Tenten laughed. _It's like a pair of toddlers fighting for attention. The winner is cocky for the rest of the day, the loser sulks_. She reached out and pet the cat behind the ears.

"Do you want the rest of my dessert, or shall I put it away for later?"He asked, knowing she was done eating.

"Might want to put it away before Ryuu gets any ideas." She answered, she attempted to stretch again but stopped. Her back was going to protest. Hours cramped up in a little corner did not do a person any favors, even if they did rest the next day. Tenten was certain suppressing her chakra and gathering Haru's had done nothing to aid her.

"Turn over." Neji commanded, putting the plate on the side table, making sure to keep it out of Ryuu's grasp. He watched her blink at him a few times.

"What?" Oh yes, she was certain she heard him say what she thought he said. He told her to turn over, it simply refused to process in her mind.

"Turn over and lay on your stomach." Neji repeated, pulling off his sweater, and revealing the shirt underneath.

"Ok..." She said slowly, but quickly followed his instructions. She did not want him to see her face turn red while she berated that voice in her head that just couldn't help but think inappropriately about almost everything he said.

He warmed his hands with chakra, and looked down at her. It would work better with skin to skin contact. "Lift up your shirt."

"B-But..." There it was, one of those moments Ino had mentioned, when a bra was far better than bindings. If he was planning what she thought he was, she'd need to remove those too.

"Just do it Tenten. You can leave your bindings on if you're that uncomfortable."

She sat up and tugged her shirt up, reached behind her back and untied the bindings she wore. Curse Ino, why did she have to be right about certain things anyway? Why was she so embarassed anyway? He'd stood in the doorway of the bathroom while she dried off. _His eyes were covered. They're not now._ Curse reason too while she was cursing things. She laid back down quickly when were loose enough to slip down to her waist, and she buried her face into the blankets.

"Just relax."His warm hands ran over her back, soothing away the pain. He set about giving her a simple back massage, because she was sore, and the sooner she recovered, the better.

"Thanks." She managed to mumble. She mentally cursed, once she had thought he could give a good massage. He was better than good at it...

His fingers roamed over her bare skin, coaxing tense muscle into relaxation. First he went about the flesh; mapping it out. A knot here, a ticklish spot there. Finding each one he pressed and prodded with his fingers; soothing the tired body. Once she was more or less a helpless mass of goo, he concentrated on her chakra pathways. He ran his chakra though each one. They were still raw and probably burning due to Haru's chakra invading them. Neji used his energy like a healing balm, coaxing the walls of the pathways to heal and numb. It wasn't until Neji was focusing on each chakra point, that Tenten moaned. Now, it wasn't uncommon for her to squirm a little, sigh and mumur appreciatively even. However, this time Tenten had arched her back a bit, and MOANED. "Hurts here?" he asked, trying to take his focus away from the slight acceleration of his heart beat.

"A..a bit." It didn't hurt, not much, no if anything it felt- it felt...She tried for about three minutes to describe the sensation, but couldn't. Her lower back did hurt, but she hesitated to tell him. Her heart was racing, was it just his chakra making her heart race? That could be it. It could simply be his chakra, she told herself over and over. Just his chakra.

Neji spent a few moments concentrating on that spot, drawing out a few muffles moans. He could understand why Tenten was embarrassed. It had to be, moaning over a simple massage. Not that he blamed her at all. Her body was incredibly tense, and her chakra network had suffered some damage, his touch had to be helping. "Is there anywhere else that's still sore?"

"M-My lower back kinda hurts." Would he really put his hands that low on her back? Would he really? Her mind was moving a great distance away from purity at a rapid pace.

: "Here?" he asked, pressing down on the small of her back. He had already massaged there, and the chakra points felt perfectly fine.

It drew a light gasp from her. "To the right a bit." She could feel the slightest pressure on her back, and while where his hands were felt fine, she could feel the tense muscles just to the right of where his hands were. Pure thoughts be damned. She buried her face deeper into the blanket and tried not to think about him touching her, so much as aiding in her recovery.

"Here?" he asked, even though he could feel the tense flesh under his hands. He massaged and soothed, watching the way she squirmed and felt her skin twitch beneath his hands. He wet his dry lips a moment, before pressing down a bit harder and getting a surprised gasp. "It's tender here." He noted, pressing again to force her muscles to relax.

"Y-y-yeah, a b-bit." She stuttered.

Tenten just did not stutter...he couldn't remember her stuttering unless she was extremely flustered. Had her skin become sensitized with his chakra in her system, so much so that it made her flustered? He pulled his hands away. "I think that's enough for tonight." He said, a faint pink in his cheeks. How sensitive had his touch made her skin? How much increased sensitivity was due to his own chakra relieving the pain she was in?

"It helped, a lot." She turned her face away. "I don't ache as much." Even though her lower back was still aching slightly, it did feel better.

"Good." Neji stood. "I'm going to train downstairs before I go to bed. Do you need anything before I go?"

She shook her head lightly and pulled her shirt down. "I'll be alright."

"All right." he left the room and went downstairs. He was feeling anxious and a bit embarrassed. Training would help him work off his frustrations. He slid the basement door almost shut and hurried down the stairs. A few meditative deep breaths would clear his mind, he hoped. A clear mind was conducive to effective and efficient training. Neji went through his katas with his usual speed and stamina. To the trained eye however, his movements weren't quite as fluid. His accuracy was just a hair off. Berating himself in his mind, he worked through katas, through exercises, trying to gather himself. He hated feeling distracted.

The cat watched him silently from the steps. He stayed out of his male owner's way and didn't try to steal his attention away from whatever he was focusing on. Ryuu was fast, but from what his very trained young cat eyes could tell him, Neji was faster. The cat however, did not escape Neji's notice. "Do you plan to watch me all night? Go watch Tenten or something." The cat was not improving his disposition, and was certainly not aiding in his concentration.

Ryuu shrunk back against the steps. If he could speak, he'd have reminded Neji that Tenten needed rest, but he meowed quietly in the hopes of convincing Neji of that simple fact.

"Go sleep on her pillow or something."He finally said, stopping only to glare at the creature.

For the second time that night, the cat obeyed Neji and climbed the stairs and headed back to the bedroom to watch over his female owner. At least she would be less likely to throw sharp pointy objects at him for his company.

After about an hour, Neji finished his session, and went to bed a bit calmer. "Are you still awake Tenten?" he asked, sitting on the edge of the bed.

She lifted her head slightly and nodded. Ryuu was curled up on her back rather than her pillow.

"Are you feeling better?" He laid down, lifting Ryuu off Tenten's back so he could pull the covers over both of them.

"Yeah I am." She finally looked at him and thanked him quietly. "You know...for uh..." She nodded over her shoulder to her back.

"It's fine. It appears that your chakra system was damaged more than I originally thought. You should recover faster now." He explained, turning to lay on his side.

Tenten winced. "It was?"

"The pathways were very raw and irritated, but it wasn't serious." He assured her. "It would have taken a while longer then I had first though before your body recovered to it's normal state."

"Guess I toughed it out longer than I should have." She said apologetically.

"We'll know better for next time." At least, with what treatment he was able to give, she would recover faster. Now that he knew how to help her heal, perhaps she could work longer.

"I'll try to be more careful next time." She promised as she repressed a light shiver. Lingering traces of his chakra in her system were accelerating her recovery, but the sensation was difficult to get used to. It was a light tingly sensation she couldn't associate with anything she knew of, and it made her fight to not sigh or squirm.

"Are you uncomfortable?" He asked shifting slightly, it was bothering him that she was still squirming. It was incredibly distracting. "It can be rather...distracting to be filled with someone else's chakra, even if it's compatible with your own."

"I'm fine, it's just...tingly." She tried to explain the sensation. She was torn between that weird feeling when one's foot falls asleep, or that warm rushing sensation from standing in sunlight.

"It'll fade from your system once you've gathered a bit more strength and your chakra can dominate in your body."

"It's not too bad." She admitted, wrapping her arms around a pillow. She was more concerned that she'd be having some very vivid dreams, and probably be somewhat vocal during the night. She turned her face into the pillow and waited for her light blush to subside. The chakra in her system was making her blush! _Ek! How embarrassing._ She fidgeted lightly with her portion of the blankets.

"How are your vision and the rest of your body?" He his head to watch her for a few moments. She was distinctly better than she had been in the morning, she wasn't squinting, and moved much more easily.

She mumbled something into the pillow before turning her head. "Sorry, I said I can see clearly now. It's mostly just light aches now."

"Those should fade within a day." Neji was pleased. "Do you feel up to continuing the plan?" He couldn't see any reason why she wouldn't. While it would be long and taxing, it wouldn't hurt her like he had originally feared.

"I..." She hesitated and thought about it. His plan was clever, if it worked it would be a brilliant way to bypass the chakra detection systems they had in place. It would allow her to disable the traps needed to get them further in. "Yeah, I can handle it."

"Don't push yourself too hard Tenten. We have the time to make it happen." He closed his eyes and turned back on his other side to face the windows. "Good night."

"I know." She curled up against the pillow and closed her eyes. "Good night, Neji." She answered with a quiet yawn.

* * *

AN: Apologies on the delay in updating! Between getting ready for school, two cats dying, and a virus completely trashing my computer, it's been a pretty rough summer. Main delay in updating was managing to convert all my old files to my new wordprocessor. If there are any errors this chapter I'm sooo sorry, I'm trying to get the hang of a new processor. Well...it's a long one. Next chapter was looking pretty long to, so it might take me a while to edit it with school starting up soon. I got two rough years ahead of me so wish me luck! I promise I'll still update. Hehe, might be slow, but I will update. Thank you all for your patience and continued support on the story!


	25. Chapter 25

**Disillusioned**

by: Faraway Dawn and Kigen

* * *

Chapter 25

Working at night was always better, at least most of the researchers preferred it. Some of them whined about not getting the day shift, but in all honesty, night meant that they had limited time with Haru, and more time with a more pleasant watchdog. Who could pass up a more pleasant guard? "Results from subject A10041 indicate extensive damage to the chakra with amplification from the Sharingan." A female researcher passed her results from one side of a room through solid walls and panes of thick glass to the other side through a box inserted in the wall. It contained sliding drawers that would allow someone to access the information on the other side. "We'll be testing contained chakra with other traits soon."

"Yes, yes. Go on." An elder researcher who had been there since before the beginning of the operation, flipped quickly through the papers before handing them off to another researcher. "Go find the files of the fifteenth and twenty-ninth experiments with subject B18702, and files twenty-three and forty-eight on subject C2328. I want comparisons on chakra levels, test results on their genjutsu levels before and after the experiments, and mental status." His shoes made light tapping sounds on the floor as he walked about the room, checking over the various statuses of different experiments.

While the female bossed the researchers under her around, in another part of the facility other tests were being done. "Impressive. Subject's DNA seems to respond well to the ninjutsu amplification, tests indicate heightened chakra control." He finished his preliminary report and passed it through to the other side, aware of the elder researcher waiting. "Tests show that subject D4093 has heightened response of chakra and ability to preform ninjutsu has been increased, his DNA seems to show signs of perfect synchronization with ninjutsu amplification. I think it's safe to say he'd make an excellent medic now, his chakra, based on his test results so far has allowed him to recover from injury at an accelerated rate. We're doing further testing to make sure his mental state is unaltered."

"Good work." The old man picked up the papers, taking a closer look at the information in this file. "It looks like he's improving at a faster rate then we hoped. Test his mental capabilities and don't bother me with the results unless they are something worth noting." He turned to an assistant that had just entered the room, two files in hand. "Don't tell me more files are missing!" He shouted, enraged. The older documents, the ones that he needed to compare with their new system were becoming more difficult to locate in recent days. "Damn, blasted ninja! Can't even keep a box of old files safe. What the hell are they doing out there, pissing around?" He snatched the available files from the assistant and shot her a contemptuous glare.

"Sir, the files are being moved to a more secure location now. The ANBU office has agreed to store them and transport them to us when needed, as of right now our storage space is limited, but we've been assured that by spring it will be improved." The assistant stepped back nervously. The old man had a foul temper, that's why they made him in charge of overseeing research, and decided to not let him near needles.

"We don't have until spring! Not if they want us to work and get the fucking results they keep badgering us for!" They would need to replace a chair and call someone in to fix the wall. "Get one of those idiot top dogs here now and tell them that I have a bone to pick with them!" Nonsense, utter nonsense. Files gone missing, murders, and he was running out of test subjects. "Takako! Where are the files on subject D1028 I asked for! I wanted to be updated on the tone and elasticity of his muscle tissues fifteen minutes ago!" He would find something else to work on until he had someone to chew out.

People rushed to attempt to repair the mood of their angry supervisor. The files were brought swiftly to him, people kept their heads low and kept talking to a minimum unless it was to record important data. Across the way in the training and combat testing facility, a man had gone into shock, his body unable to handle taijutsu amplification. His heart was failing, his muscles rapidly deteriorating, and the best medics were doing all they could to save him. It was not a night one wanted to be in the large facility with the supervisor. Even if there was space to stay out of sight, his irritated voice echoed and haunted everyone as they worked.

"Idiots and buffoons, all of them." The cranky old man muttered, taking a much needed smoke break. It was infuriating. He had the staff, but the ones being brought in were green and knew nothing of proper prep work. Everyone was uptight and on edge because of the murders, and it was affecting their progress. Now, files, _vital_ files and data, were disappearing under their noses! To make matters worse, all the ninja could do was promise things for the future! He wanted one of the higher ups, soon, or so help him- he'd go and get them himself. "Takako! Useless girl. How long does it take to get a armful of blasted files?" He stormed through empty hallways, coming to the reason Takako had taken so long. He walked to a desk, and pressed on the intercom. "Get the ANBU down here now." The old man narrowed his eyes. _I want them to explain to me how a murder happened inside my labs._

Black Ops were always the first responders to murder in the village, along with a handful of other ninja that comprised a public investigation team. The lab was secured almost immediately, and two teams were combing it down to find out how an intruder had managed to get in. Haru was being summoned to secure the lab with genjutsu. Nobaru was being dispatched to inform the Raikage and begin yet another tunnel sweep. Taiki was being ordered to lock down the shelters again. "The lab security devices are still in order sir." The young man said quietly and calmly. "It's likely that either the assassin has lab clearance, or has managed to bypass your best defenses flawlessly."

"As if it were possible for my defense system to fail." The director glared at the ninja, hidden behind his mask, who had been sent to debrief him. "Look for anyone with high level entry passes not accounted for at the time. Watch the cameras and upload the data from the chakra detectors. Cross reference everyone who appears, along with those who may have been genetically exposed to similar chakras." That was the only way someone could bypass his system, either they had clearance, or they were part of the experimentation. "Once these sweeps are done boy, I want your superior here to speak to me, understood?"

The young man rolled his eyes behind his mask. He shared the similar opinion, though never voiced it, that the old man was a bit too confident in his security system. It was a fact after all, that he himself did not have lab clearance, but got in without being detected. Only a few members of ANBU did have clearance. If the old man had been paying attention though, he would have noticed that he was not one of them. It was as simple as blending in, and entering with someone who did have clearance. The old man had told the Raikage many times, no one could get in without being detected, so the Raikage had dispatched one of the ANBU who did not have clearance, perhaps to prove a point. The young man didn't know why he was sent, he didn't like dealing with the cranky old man, _but...the Raikage's orders are orders_...he nodded at the man. "We'll take care of it."

"Dammed punk." The old man turned back to the computer screens. Checking his systems, he smiled to himself. The important documents, equipment, and the areas that really mattered where still untouched. It was those areas that the security was at the highest and the man was sure that no one would ever be able to enter without his permission. _Why Takako though?_ He wondered to himself while striking a few keys to test the sensors and increase their sensitivity. She was a stupid girl who only filed papers and wrote notes for those too busy to use their hands. She didn't know anything important...

"It makes sense to kill her." One of the other researchers told the old man. "Takako holds all the lab access cards, as well as all the security codes for the lab, because she has to file information for the entire lab, no one else did it as efficiently." The man shook his head. "We checked her body, her cards are still on her."

"I know they didn't take the cards. That's what makes it a worthless kill." Thankfully the most important cards required complex passwords that were only viable when used in conjunction with voice recognition. Even the lightest shift in vocal inflection would invalidate the passwords. "I want a replacement brought to me for her. She's ruined things with her incontinent death."

The man narrowed his eyes at the head researcher. "You really are a heartless old bat, you know that?" The man muttered before walking off. He had been fond of Takako. The old man called her stupid often, but she was a bright girl, she was the most organized person in existence, and she was kind to everyone. She showed the most concern for others, never came to work when she was sick, and always gave advanced notice and called in an effective replacement when she knew she could not be in for any reason. To the lab's delight, in two years, it had happened only twice, and both were doctors appointments. "I'll find Asayo."

"I wasn't given this job to be nice or to shit sunshine and rainbows boy. I took it to test my theories and make sure that results were made." Everyone died eventually. The only time deaths should be mourned was when people where taken away before they served their full purpose. "Make sure this one isn't an idiot and can at least remember how to spell."

"Takako spelled better than you, I've seen her spell check your reports sir." The man answered walking away to find Asayo. She was probably still at the hospital, she worked in records there, she was good at what she did as well. She'd be happy to give the crazy old man a piece of her mind, and chances were, she'd shut him up a few times.

The man scoffed and went back to the screens. The incident had taken too much of his valuable time, and he was on a schedule. He didn't have time to mourn or train a new assistant, He had come to a snag in his research. While the genjutsu, chakra, and ninjutsu levels were all rapidly rising, the levels of physical ability and taijutsu were lagging behind at an embarrassing rate, cursing again at Takako's useless ineptitude, he went deeper into the files. He desperately needed to find what was missing from the reports.

The boy from ANBU returned about an hour later with his preliminary report. He detested reporting to the old man, but again, the Raikage's orders, were orders. "There are no breaches in the actual security system. My superiors are unable to come directly to you, they have alternate orders from the Raikage, sir. The feed from the security cameras is here." He held out the tapes and bowed slightly. "The researchers that appear on the tape were scheduled to be in tonight, we questioned both. Daichi claims that Tetsumura forgot his access card...sir...Tetsumura claims he was late, he just arrived ten minutes ago."

"If he forgot his access card, then how did he get inside?" It was a high security laboratory! Flies weren't allowed inside without proper clearance! _No one would be stupid enough to let anyone in without their card. _He snatched the tapes from his hands, inserted them into the player, and looked over the video feed. Watching over the time frame, he cursed violently. "Get the idiots working the security room now, and whoever the hell was idiotic enough to let this man in," he pointed to the man on the tapes that was let in with a murderous glare, "and take them both for questioning, get the imbecile who was late as well, and then go do what you ninja are supposed to be doing! Find this damn intruder and keep my researchers alive so we can help your useless village!"

The boy narrowed his eyes behind his mask. If it weren't Raikage's orders, half of ANBU would gladly kill the old researcher. He got under everyone's skin. He bit his tongue though and did not voice his opinion on the matter. "It's already being done. My team will be leaving while we question them in our interrogation rooms. I can't assure they will be returned to you...in perfect health, you understand? The Raikage is sending two advanced teams down to assist with security in your security team's absence."

"I don't care. Just make sure your people file the proper paperwork if you decide to kill them." He was was stupid enough to just let someone inside because they forgot their cards? The whole sector was going to pay for that one. It was stupid mistakes like that, that got people get killed and caused him more paperwork.

"Of course." The man bowed and stepped back into the shadows of the hallway. He was gone a few minutes later. A new squad replaced his, one with significantly more experience and more tolerance for the old man's rude remarks.

* * *

"Everyone make sure to complete their homework assignments, two pages due tomorrow. Whoever fails to do so will be spending another afternoon with me, copying pages from the way of the ninja. Those with make up tests, stay behind. Everyone else, you're dismissed." Neji sat down, letting out a silent sigh of relief when most of the students filed out.

Most of them anyway, one of the girls got up, and stopped at his desk, despite being dismissed. "Tsubasa-sensei?" She smiled cheerfully, she was a very good student, never missed a test, never wrote a love letter, she was always one of the first with the correct answer. It was odd for her to stay when dismissed.

"Yes Reiko? Is there something you needed?" He asked, genuinely curious, maybe she needed help with class work or extra credit? Reiko certainly didn't need to take any make up tests.

"Sir, your wife isn't good enough for you! She's not even a ninja!" She ignored her sensei's assistant snorting into his hand, trying very badly, not to laugh. "I love you Tsubasa-sensei!" The girl's eyes got big and almost teary. "You should leave your wife sir!"

A few of the boys in the back of the room tried not to laugh, along with their sensei's assistant.

Neji let out a sigh. _Not another one, _he mentally groaned. "So I should leave my wife and marry you then Reiko? Even though I'm more than twice your age, and you're not a ninja either?" He asked setting aside his work.

"I will be a ninja though!" The girl argued before throwing a venomous death glare over her shoulder at the boys. "And you guys aren't ones to laugh! You don't shut up about his wife and how 'hot' she is!"

"A lot hotter then you!" One of the boys yelled

"Oh you want to make something out of it Kai? I could take you on if I was dying! At least I PASS my tests!"

"Oh brother..." Neji's assistant muttered. "So much for a good start to the week."

Neji let out an audible sigh, "Kai, that's enough,get back to your test. Reiko," He let out another, mildly more irritated sigh. "I love my wife and wouldn't leave her for anything. Now, go home and do your homework. I'm expecting a good essay from you."

"But..." The girl sounded pitifully heart broken. Just another in a long line of young female students who were let down when they declared their undying love for their sensei. "Sir I heard she can't even cook! I can cook!"

"I didn't marry her for her skill as a ninja, her looks, or her cooking ability. Go home Reiko."

A few of the boys in the back snickered when their female classmate left in tears. "All of you hush up right now, or I'm taking off ten points from your tests and you'll automatically fail, you'll be here again tomorrow." Neji's assistant called to the boys. "Interesting two weeks it's been. That's the tenth blatant declaration isn't it?"

"Fifteenth. They've started to follow me home." Neji sighed, running a frustrated hand through his hair

"Well at the very least, it gives them some...motivation." He mumbled. The boys were starting to do significantly better, a few said it was in the hopes of winning over Amaya's affections, since they said she was a very kind woman. "A few of the boys spoke to your wife the other day, I saw them at the store. Declared they would eh..." He recounted the embarrassing declaration. From sweeping her off her feet, to proving they were superior, the boys were as insistent as the girls about what they wanted, and that they were a better choice as a significant other. "I can't say stuff like this happens often."

"I think it's the accent. All lightning nin just have a fetish for fire country accents." He muttered flicking a kunai absentmindedly at a student. "If you're going to cheat Mitsuo, make sure I don't catch you. You'll be here again tomorrow."

"But I wasn't!" The student argued. It was unnerving how a blind man knew when they were cheating anyway.

"Again, if you're going to cheat, don't get caught. Start copying lines, and make it two days."

"You'd think they'd learn by now." A stack of papers was rapidly graded, a few people would have to turn theirs in late, due to illness going around. "Aya's sick still, Shu and Hikaru are absent again as well. Their mothers say they have high fevers, sounds like the seasonal stuff."

"Does this happen every year?" He remembered getting the occasional cold that ran throughout the spring and winter months, but never for so long or with such high temperatures. He also recalled that they were told that the local viruses were far more dangerous than the ones that were more common in other nations.

"Oh yeah. Usually students who get sick are out for about a week. It's just a bad combination of silly things. Playing in the snow, wearing cold wet clothes too long, kids never take care of themselves, and their moms can only do so much."

"Hm. Nobaru made it sound like Amaya and I would have to get a dozen shots to keep from dieing."

"Nah, just a pair if you're an active ninja, just because you're exposed to a lot more, you're around a lot of ninja all day who are often away on missions. Your wife probably should only get the one. The local lowland stuff is way worse than any foreign diseases. Kills pretty fast. Everyone's required to get that vaccination."

"What about without it? I've had bad reactions in the past. I avoid immunizations if possible. Amaya is just terrified of needles. I'd have to drug her to get her to a doctor's appointment."

"Better than not getting it. There's about seventeen infections a year of it, all in the village, the vaccination is about the only thing that gives them a fighting chance."

"I'll need to discuss it with her." He answered, deciding they would have to avoid it as long as possible.

"It'd be wise. My mom refused to get it, crazy old thing, you know how old ladies are. Stubborn to a fault...well...she caught it last year." The chuunin finished organizing the papers on his desk and started grading the first tests that were handed in.

Neji nodded. "I'm sorry." He answered, cursing in his mind. It was harder to avoid things when people always reminded you of the death toll.

"If you want to go, I can take care of the tests, I'll have them graded for you by tomorrow. The weather is getting worse, and I live a lot closer than you do."

"I can handle myself in a bit of snow Tetsumi. If the weather's really that bad, I should stay behind and help you make sure the children get home."

"Your wife will worry." He pointed out that good chances were, some of the boys who actually passed their tests were already either following her around a store, or camped out outside of their home trying to convince her to run away with them.

"That reminds me, I should set up a few low level traps to keep unwanted stalkers away." Neji said to himself, gathering his things. Tenten had already set up one, and that had resulted with three boys showing up for a week with ink stains all over their faces. On the plus side though, he no longer had to worry about children trying to peek into his bedroom window.

His assistant chuckled and nodded. "It wouldn't hurt, the question is what are you going to do when they figure out how to bypass them?"

"Reward them by cutting back on homework, then raise traps up another level." Who knew he could turn the unwanted affections and stalking of eight year old children into a teaching tool?

"Dangerous methods."Tetsumi smirked. "Go on, you head home, I can get the kids home safely. I've been dealing with this weather all my life. Worst case, I can get one of their parents to get them."

"All right, all right." Neji stood, pulling his bag over the shoulder. "I'll see you tomorrow Tetsumi." He gave the boys working on their tests a last glance that they'd never see, before starting on his way home.

Tenten stood over the stove. How the hell did Neji do it all the time anyway? Cooking was slow and frustrating! He was running late, chances were, his kids had to retake their tests. _Again._ He had been teaching her little by little how to not burn things while cooking, and she was confident enough to at least attempt to make dinner for once. _He's going to kill me, it's going to taste horrible..._ She paced around the kitchen. She imagined he'd be irritated more that she wasted food, but at least while she was cooking, the house smelled good. Karou had put the idea in her head earlier when she stopped by. She was a significant improvement to general female company. She wasn't a saint, but she wasn't as perverted as the other women.

Ryuu sat at her feet, mewing pathetically for just an incy, wincy scrap of chicken. He rubbed against her ankles purring, before perking up and running to the hall. The cranky master was home. When Neji stepped into his house, he was sure for a moment he was at the wrong address. "Amaya?" He called out, steeping inside and expecting Karou to come around the corner. The house smelled nice...nice like food...edible food, without burnt bits or the smoke alarms going off...

"In the kitchen!" She called back. By her calculations there were still a few minutes left to the cooking process, but he was home. It would be the moment of truth.

Neji walked into the kitchen, eyes quickly taking in their every surrounding. "Who's here with you?" He didn't hear anyone or see anyone other then Tenten, but there was food cooking on the stove, and it looked like food. It even smelled like food.

"Just me and the cat." She tried not to fidget and turned off the stove. "You were eh...running late so..."

"You cooked this?" Neji asked, peering first into the pots, then the skillet. "By yourself?" He was sure Tenten wasn't that apt at using genjutsu. She hated them far too much.

"I tried anyway..." She shrugged. He was acting like it was a miracle, it wasn't like he'd actually tasted it yet, for all they knew it was toxic.

"You did better than try." He knew it wasn't an illusion, the byakugan would have seen through it by that point. "Since when can you cook?" His voice did not disguise his surprise.

"I-I can't...I haven't even tasted it yet, for all we know it'll kill us." She suggested.

"That's why you haven't given the cat any scraps." He teased, poking at the dish. The food seemed just about done, and nothing looked poisonous, "It seems fine to me."

"You're actually going to try something I cooked, after my last attempt?" She tried not to look too hopeful. After standing over the stove, monitoring everything for as long as she did, he damned well better try it.

"I'll try it. If I don't changing colors or start seeing things you can't, I'll assume that you finally managed to cook something well."

"A-Ah ok." She hurried around the kitchen and fixed them each a plate. The tea she had been preparing would be poured only a few seconds after, just incase he needed something to wash it down with.

He sat at the table, chopsticks in hand. He gave Tenten a mildly annoyed, slightly amused look. "Is it really necessary to watch me like I'm going to fall over dead once I start eating?"

She shrugged in return with a sheepish smile. "Better to be ready for it?"

He shrugged once, took a bite and started to chew. His face froze suddenly, his eyes widened as he slowly swallowed. There was an understandably odd expression on his face leaning heavily on shocked, and wobbling a bit towards unsure.

"That bad, huh?" She asked, almost shrinking back into her seat.

"It," he paused, clearing his throat, "it tastes... good." He finished, still trying to digest the words he had just spoken.

"I knew it, too much garlic, or maybe too much ginger...oh god no don't tell me I undercooked the chi-" Then his words just suddenly made sense. He said it tasted good. "It what?"

"It tastes good." Neji repeated, getting a bit more used to the idea. "The flavor's a little strong, but it actually tastes pretty good." he looked up at her. "I must admit, I'm impressed Tenten."

She picked up her own chopsticks and tasted her concoction. Her own eyes mirrored his initial reaction. They widened, but her expression bordered along the lines of shock and pride. After swallowing she stared at the dish. "I cooked edible food."

"You cooked enjoyable food." Neji corrected. She had made plenty of things that were technically edible. After all, mud and sticks were technically edible as well. "How did you do it?

"Well, I steamed the chicken, made sure to add a bit of pineapple juice to keep it from getting too dried, and some ginger. The rice, I steamed with chicken stock and a small bit of ginger instead of water. The vegetables, are just stir fried with soy and some garlic." She explained it was something her father made occasionally, "He said a friend taught him the recipe, I never asked him how to make it, I just kinda tried to remember."

That explained why the flavors were a bit strong, but it was good none the less. "This means that Ino owes you some money."

"She does?" Tenten perked up. Ino owing anyone money was always a joy.

"Didn't you two make a bet about you ever cooking a meal someone other than you or Lee would honestly enjoy?" He recalled their squabbling in their chuunin days over the matter. Ino had always insisted on making silly bets with people just to tease them, and Tenten was easily provoked into bets when she was furstrated.

"Hah, yeah when we were fifteen, right after the chuunin exams." Her smile grew brighter and she allowed the cat to at last sample a tiny shred of her chicken. "My mom made everyone dinner, and Ino said it was a good thing I didn't help cook."

"Shikamaru said something about her cooking being bland, and Ino started yelling about Shikamaru not being able to refer to anything as bland." It had been an amusing, albeit a bit noisy.

"Chouji ate most of the food." Tenten added with a grin. "Mom had to make a lot more, she was not thrilled, she made you help." She remembered her mother's embarrassing discussion with Neji in the kitchen, one she had unfortunately been present for.

"I think she started taking about allergic reaction to something when you were a baby. All I remember was the horrible story about months of diaper rash and swelling."

"Yeah which got worse as the night went on." She had gone on pointing out that her daughter had hit puberty quite early, and her biological clock was ticking. "She's so embarrassing sometimes..."

"And trying to push the two of us together rather forcibly, now that I think of it." Tenten's mother had started on the both on them at an early age, but when they were fifteen it had taken a steady turn to more frequent pestering.

Her mother had the most disappointed expression when the two collided quite tactfully, resulting in Tenten's head against Neji's shoulder, rather than the pair of them lip locked, as she had intended. "I still can't figure out exactly why she focused on you." At her first chuunin exams she had thought Sasuke was cute, sort of. She had told her mother that he was kind of cute, and her mother had very quickly pointed out, that she knew exactly why. Her mother had boldly, and proudly announced to her husband and daughter, that Tenten thought Sasuke was cute, because his behavior mirrored someone she was already close to. Transference, her mother said proudly. "I mean, I could have waltzed into the house and said I was deathly in love with Sasuke, and she would have said that was impossible."

"I think it's because of my hair. Your mother tried to play with it." That had been creepy. It had been annoying, but it never really bothered him when Tenten played with his hair. When her mother asked if she could braid it... that had just been plain odd.

"I think it's something else." She had a few ideas what, but she wasn't willing to discuss them openly, it would betray so much of what she felt. It was something she wasn't willing to do.

"My eyes? She'd always go on and on about the color." She wasn't the first woman to have a fetish for the byakugan. It was certainly a rare occurrence, most women were afraid to look the Hyuuga in the eyes, but it wasn't unheard of.

Tenten shook her head lightly. She agreed with her mother though, she did like Neji's eyes. Plenty of people could read others by their eyes, Neji took years of dedicated work to read, purely by his eyes. The color left most people slightly unnerved, most gave up any attempts to read him.

"Then why was she interested in me? It couldn't have been my personality." He had been a bit of an arrogant asshole in his younger days, not that he had changed much, it just wasn't as obvious anymore.

"Hey if I knew it wouldn't be a mystery would it?" She continued to eat cheerfully. "It wouldn't be something obvious though. Mom's pretty blatant about how she feels about things, but she's not so obvious about what makes her feel that way in the first place."

"Tenten. Everything about your mother is obvious. I think you've just been too busy tuning her out the last few years." He had quickly learned it was vital that he gain the ability to zone when Tenten's mother started to babble.

"Maybe." She laughed. "The worst part, is I usually tune her out when she rambles, then she says something really deep, and I totally miss it. Dad has to remind me of it."

"He still pays attention to her?" After all those years of marriage, even if they acted like newly weds, Neji was sure he'd have stopped listening.

"Patience of a god I say." Tenten nodded.

"Either that or love is blind and is making it up by listening." Neji took another bite, placing the cat on the floor when it sniffed his plate. "No."

She chuckled and felt the cat rub against her legs under the table. "Never thought I'd see the day when you would protect anything I cooked from the cat."

"Tenten, if this had been your normal cooking, I wouldn't let him eat it. Even if I can't stand the fur ball, I don't believe in animal cruelty."

"Hey..." She pouted. At least Neji was honest about it.

"However, I am protecting this food because it is good, and I'm not going to let the cat think it can eat our food."

"I let him have a tiny piece of the chicken." She reminded him.

"You're spoiling it and teaching it bad habits."

The cat was rolling across her feet, he rubbed his head against her ankles and purred loudly. "Maybe." She admitted.

"You are." he corrected, sipping the tea. "You'll have to make this for everyone in Konoha. You'll shock them all."

She smiled at his statement. "I'll have to make a lot."

"I don't know about that. How many people will actually be willing to try it?

"When they find out you ate it, and liked it?" She pointed out as she started on her vegetables.

"I've lied about your cooking before." Kiba and Ino had suffered dearly for their comments about him having a 'girlfriend' that time.

"Lee will try an-" Lee would try anything once, the problem was that most people couldn't stomach what Lee could eat. "...Aw man." She sighed. She was planning on a night out and continued to eat. "No one will trust what Lee says regarding food."

"Best bet is getting Kiba or Shikamaru to try it. Even if Kiba's an idiot and Shikamaru doesn't care about much, they wouldn't lie about it. I doubt Kiba learned his lesson the first time anyway."

"Yeah." She glanced out the window, it was getting worse outside. "Nasty weather, good cover though."

He in turn glanced toward the window, eyeing the rapidly falling snow. "Are you feeling up to going out again?" Tenten had healed wonderfully after another day of rest and chakra cleansing.

She nodded in response. "I already prepared a new scroll, some seals to take with me, and even a ward to help keep the chakra from causing too much harm."

"Don't push yourself as hard as you did last time." He had spent the time reading her notes on chakra poisoning, the possibility of permanent damage to her pathways from being scorched from incompatible chakra was already quite high.

"I won't. Don't worry, I know what to expect this time." She said lightly while finishing off her rice and tea. "How many new declarations of love did you get today? I got six." She smirked. "A few young chuunin this time, teenagers."

"Seven notes, two apples, and Reiko stayed after class to profess her love to the world." He frowned. "I got flowers from someone." He was clearly mortified by it.

"None asked you to meet up with them later tonight, in a very secluded location to..." She paused and turned red. "Oh you get the idea..."

"Was that from the eight year old brats, or the teenagers time?" He sipped his teas. "Either way, it wasn't tonight, the request was for this Thursday."

"My request was for tonight, from an eighteen year old." She nodded very quickly reading his expression of annoyance. "Yeah, this one's a lot closer to our age, seemed a lot more serious I think too. Not half bad looking either."

"Mine was from a forty-two year old woman." His nose wrinkled. "I think she has lunch with you and the other house wives."

"Oh...her..." Tenten smirked. "Yeah she eh...she comes sometimes, she's an older widow. Hopes to death you have an identical twin or cousin," Tenten mumbled under her breath, "then again, who here doesn't wish you had an identical twin or cousin?"

Neji was silent. "If she's open, and doesn't mind sharing, Hinata and I do share a certain likeness."

Tenten started to laugh and began coughing. "Rice and laughing don't mix." She managed to cough out. Hinata and Hana were an interesting mental picture. "I think she'd just prefer you."

"I declined her." He watched making sure Tenten wouldn't need aid. "I give it another week before she tries again."

"T-The kid that asked me, was willing to fight you for me." She continued to laugh.

"He does realize he would have to beat me into unconsciousness right?"

"He thinks he'll win. I give him credit for being confident."

"And what do you give him for being an idiot?" He asked drinking his tea, watching her closely.

"I give him props for being stupid enough to want to fight you over me."

Neji shook his head and chuckled. "I'm being to think that cloud ninja really do love fire country accents."

Tenten started to speak in agreement but stopped. She nodded to the door at the sudden but subtle pulse of Neji's chakra in the house. Someone had crossed the tags she had hidden. The tags had taken them a week to make and had to be fine-tuned a few times.

Neji paused a moment, sensing the chakra that filled the area before grinning. "Just how many traps did you set up outside?" He was smirking, undeniably amused as he stood and cleared the table.

"Not enough I guess." She mumbled.

"It's Ryuichi and Kenchi outside." He said, recognizing their chakra. "They're two of my students, they must have just finished taking the make up tests." It was about Tenten was forced to deal with child crushes. "I believe they're here to see you."

"You want me to scar them for life?" Tenten smirked and crossed her arms. "You really want me to?"

"As long as they don't need counseling." He said, placing the dishes in the sink. "After this, I'll still be seeing them every day."

Another tag tripped, they were moving closer to a window from the way the chakra fanned out. "They might just want to kill you from now on." She glanced toward the windows and saw a bit of hair barely hidden by the snow drifts. "You'll regret it if I deal with this..." She mumbled. Her method of dealing with things was more blunt than Neji's. Neji used words, she used actions.

"Keep my pants on." Neji had an idea of what Tenten was planning, and was a touch interested to see how it would play out.

Tenten repressed her smirk. Of all things Neji could say, he wanted her to keep his pants on? She tugged him slowly out of the kitchen and pushed him lightly against one of the walls, not too far from the windows. "I know you've been somewhat busy with teaching." He did only insist his pants remain on, so her hands started working on his shirt. "I think though, that you owe me some personal time, hm?" She said before kissing him, aware that a pair of heads had probably become painfully visible outside the window, even with all the snow. Neji's shirt fell to the floor.

"I gave you personal time this morning, and the night before." Neji answered quietly between her kisses. He had grown more comfortable playing since their fight months prior. "Just how much of my time do you need Amaya, dear?"

Her lips moved to his neck and she began working on the other shirt he was wearing. She cursed the cold in her mind. "I get to spend my days with women talking about their lack of a sex life," She answered with a chuckle, "you can't blame me for enjoying the fact that I have one."

"I'm beginning to think you're a succubus." He said, hands unbuttoning the top of her shirt, only pushing enough to reveal a bit of bare shoulders. "You don't think about anything else."

"One of your female students is out there watching too." She whispered. Quite the crowd, it didn't bode well to her to violate the purity of children, but when they spoke of doing impure things to her or Neji, she really couldn't resist the urge.

"How far should we go then?" He asked in her hair, allowing his hand to slide down her back. "They might try to watch the whole thing."

"They might, kids have more guts than active ninja sometimes." She muttered back. "I just want to crush their delusions..." Now that he mentioned it, she was concerned that they really might sit and watch as much as they could.

"Take your hands off my ass and I'll go chase them away."

"Oh, because your hand is behaving so much better than mine?" She laughed quietly.

"Mine isn't clamped to your rear. I'm merely stroking your back and shoulders." He said, leaning against the wall. "Clearly I am the innocent one between us."

"That hand on my back, was on my inner thigh for a few seconds."

"Still less perverted then a hand fondling my ass." He laughed lowly, leaning down to nose her ear. "Unless you want to really mortify them and send them running?"

"Sounds like you do." She liked when Neji sounded like he was plotting against every child in the village.

"All right." Pulling into a standing position, he poke in a loud voice. "Ryuichi! Kenchi! Reiko! All three of you have make up tests for the rest of week. " He pulled away from Tenten, walked over, and threw the window open. "What did I tell you about getting caught?" He asked the three students frozen outside the window.

Tenten hurried after him. "You mean you would have let them stay out there watching if they hadn't been caught!" She acted mortified, though deeply, she was thoroughly amused. She blushed faintly and held her shirt closed. She'd have a good laugh about it with him later, she was sure.

"Didn't you sense their chakra love? Even though you're not a ninja, you can do that much." He gave her a grin. "That is, unless you were a bit too distracted?"

"That proves he doesn't love her! Who'd focus on kids instead of her?" One of the boys argued, immediately after Reiko commented that it was perfect because that meant that there was still hope. Tenten tried not to laugh at the kids and merely blushed and looked away.

"Any experienced ninja worth his salt knows his surroundings at all times, even when in the middle of activities that young children should know nothing about." Neji said. Maybe the class could work on distractions, to see how well they focused. "They also notice when they set off trap lines that alert the enemy to their presence."

"I told you that you set one off Kenchi!" Ryuichi grumbled.

"You set off two. Another half a foot to Ryuichi's right, and all three of you would be inked like your classmates last week. Now, go home all of you."

"I told you, you both set them off, but no...Kenchi and Ryuichi just _had_ to see their precious Amaya." Reiko was the first to admit defeat and leave.

"She doesn't like me very much does she?" Tenten laughed nervously.

"Not at all. She's one of the better students." Neji closed the window, putting on his shirt again

She could still hear the boys bickering as they trudged their way through the snow drifts. "The boys respect you at least...Even if they do want to fight you for me...despite better judgment."

Neji nodded, finishing tying the ties of his shirt. "Do you plan on putting your clothes back on anytime soon?" He asked, nodding to the fabric that was still loose and he could see her bindings

"O-Oh." She loosened her grip on her shirt, pulled it on completely, and her hands rapidly fixed the ties. She blushed slightly and pointed to his neck. "That's going to leave a mark."

"You gave me a hickey?" He asked, fingering the skin of his neck and finding a bit of bruised skin there. "Was that really necessary?"

"I didn't mean to." It had happened around the time she was sure his hand was on her thigh. It wasn't her fault it felt good. It sure as hell wasn't her fault that she reacted instinctively when he touched her.

He shrugged it off. It's not like it was anything new. "It's fine." He began washing the dishes, trying to predict the likelihood that his class would be snickering about the mark on his neck. It was high probability, and it would be worse if those three talked with anyone else before next class.

"The girls in your class are really going to hate me now, huh?" She leaned against one of the counters while he did the dishes.

"They already hate you. This just gives them a more valid reason." If he heard any comments about Tenten being a sex fiend, or a whore, they were all going to be running laps until they dropped. Then more after that...

"Oh well, I'm used to it." She picked up the dishes he finished washing and started drying them. "Just like home, except the girls that see me as competition are a lot younger...and weaker."

"Naturally, no real threat to you." He added, stacking plates in the cupboard, "You should get an early start. Someone was killed inside the labs last time. The security is going to be even worse than usual."

Her eyes widened at the information. "They got in?"

"They got in and killed someone. A file clerk of some kind I don't know too many details, they make sure that I don't know more than the standard chuunin and jounin."

"H-how?" If he knew, he'd have probably told her, she reasoned a few seconds later. The security was top of the line, maybe even a bit better than Konoha's, the only way someone could have gotten in was if..."Someone let them in..."

"That's the theory. They've taken several people into question, but haven't heard anything from them." Neji was still slightly amazed what a little gossip could reveal, even when the information was classified.

"All this gets around to you pretty quickly, but Nobaru suspecting I am an active ninja is super secret classified information. That's just..." She paused and considered a word, finding nothing else, she muttered, "special."

"This is actual classified information though, not just Nobaru's paranoia. You think they'd have a better hold on things."

"People talk when they're scared." She answered, slipping the dishes into the cupboards.

"Or angry and mourning." One of the teachers had been Takako's cousin, and was very upset over the matter in the break room.

"Why kill a file clerk though? What harm could they have been?"

"Apparently she had access to most of the labs. None of her keys or codes were taken though. Maybe she saw the attacker?" He was still trying to figure out why her assailant had not taken her access cards.

"That's really weird." She mumbled. Why would someone kill a person with access to most parts of a lab, and not take their codes or keys? What exactly was the person after anyway?

"I think it may be the latter reason. If they didn't take anything from her, chances are she knew something she shouldn't have, so they were more concerned with maintaining their cover than procuring the cards."

Tenten nodded. She would have to deal with heightened guard, probably significantly more traps in all places, and probably more consistent monitoring. "Ok, so it's going to be very bad down there."

"Worse than very bad. They've been monitoring in pairs or teams of three. I heard Haru and some of the other higher up are going by themselves. It'll be easy to get caught tonight. Do not take unnecessary risks tonight, please Tenten."

"Oh don't sweat it, I'll be fine." She smiled cheerfully while folding the towel she had dried the dishes with. She always tried to smile when she didn't want to admit that she was nervous.

"I know you will be." Neji said, wiping down the counter tops now. He had admitted to himself recently that his own words were to help him not to worry. Telling her he knew she would be safe, would keep him from worrying, just like her words were not for him, but to reassure herself that she would be fine.

"I'll go get ready then." She said quietly before nearly tripping over the cat that had wound his way around one of her feet. She stumbled a few seconds before catching onto a counter and looking down at the cat. "Yeah, I know that was really graceful of me."

"Ninja don't trip over cats." He teased, falling back into the calm routine of a teasing husband and his wife. "I'll go reset the traps outside."

He saw her smile slightly while she straightened up. "Good thing I'm not a ninja then." She answered, heading down the hall to their room to change.

He chuckled at that while he headed out to reset their traps and tags, he chose to add a few more while Tenten got ready for the night ahead of her. When he returned she was waiting. She hugged him abruptly and gave him a small bit of advice.

"Don't worry if I'm late, late is bound to happen. If I'm not back by morning though, gather what information we have and leave." She released him slowly and stepped back.

He raised an eyebrow. "Does that mean I get to leave the cat behind?" He could not resist asking. "I know you'll be late. It'll be fine when you come back."

"I'd tell you to take the cat if I knew you wouldn't argue." He'd say something like '...save the cat and abandon you?' and then he'd probably point out that she was insane to think he'd just leave her to be tortured and probably killed.

"If you don't return, I'll find you and we'll both leave." He answered firmly. "Don't argue with me, it won't happen, because you'll come back. You always do."

"I'll see you later then." She glanced over her shoulder at the cat. "Keep him out of trouble ok?" She told the cat while nodding to Neji with a slight smirk.

"The cat does not need to take care of me." Neji frowned, pushing the cat to the side with his foot.

"You keep him out of trouble too." She smiled before slipping out the door and vanishing in the wind and snow.

Neji looked at the closed door and turned to the basement. He needed to keep himself busy for the next few hours. It was time to go looking over the scrolls again.

Collecting chakra from Haru was the easiest part of Tenten's night. For nearly three and a half hours she evaded detection, only just barely. Each time she'd have to wait for Haru to return so she could collect more. A few of the groups patrolling were talking about their significant others, how worried they were. Some spoke about their kids to their teams, about how worried they were that they might not go home alive on any given night. She felt the slight burn of Haru's chakra in her system and sealed it quickly into her scrolls while she listened. At last she had something in common with the ninja of the cloud village. For once, she wasn't entirely sure if she'd make it home safely on that very night. She had to rest multiple times before continuing her work.

Nobaru sighed, scratching the back of his neck. "This lack of secrecy is starting to annoy me." He told Haru as they met in the hallways. "Everyone knows about the murders and it's giving whoever's doing it an advantage over us."

"Everyone knows about it because it's hard not to know. Everyone mentions things to their families out of fear for their safety. In all honesty, the person's not exactly trying to hide the fact that he's killing people." Haru answered. He waited for his team to report back from their rounds and leaned back against a wall. "The kills are sloppy, one even survived, he just can't remember anything. Nothing turned up from your interrogations did they?"

He scoffed. "It took forever to get them to approve a genjutsu expert to comb his mind. They eventually let Midori, the little chuunin girl who keeps getting sent on the intel missions, have a go at him. She told me that she couldn't find something he didn't remember. Which means either the rouge nin tried to kill him for amusement's sake, or he didn't realize he knew anything important. Personally I'm leaning towards the first of the two."

"I don't think it was for amusement." Haru shook his head. "It's brilliant really. It distracted us, he didn't take anything from Takako either, none of her keys were missing and her codes were safe. I think they were meant to distract us from our course. Each time we get closer to them, they probably kill someone that's meaningless to their work. It distracts us long enough to go hunting for a connection."

"In other words, not all the threads need to meet." Nobaru frowned in the darkness. Admittedly, he had pushed that possibility to the side, thinking that they were underestimating their enemy. That of course, might have been the goal. "I need to look over the victim files again. This is getting to be a real pain."

"We did underestimate our enemy, Nobaru. If I'm right, and we thought that all the murders were connected, when most of them may not have been, who knows what the assassin has managed to get done while we've been chasing shadows."

"If assassination's even the point anymore." Nobaru let his mind wander. Past the usual suspicions and strange ideas that others were prone to casting aside readily, there could always be a shred of truth. "Aside from the villager and the clerk, all the assassinations have been either high ranking jounin or researchers. Jounin always when they were on duty; researchers while they were outside the labs." He thought aloud, praying Haru would follow his thoughts.

"They've known about the research for some time then, perhaps their kage ordered the assassinations. Risky though, assassinations every few days, rather than a mass assassination of all involved? My money is on the Mizukage. The Mist Village has always been a few steps ahead of the ball game."

"I'm leaning towards Konoha, and not just because I think Amaya's a spy. My sources haven't brought anything up quite yet. Mist is power-hungry, that much is for sure, but Konoha has this high and mighty morality issue. Even though they do things just as bad as us, I can easily imagine them destroying it, claiming it was for the betterment of the world."

"It's less morality, and far more more bad blood. Orochimaru betrayed their village, his research is despised by the Leaf. The problem is that Konoha is working on a peace treaty with our Raikage, the Mist village has adamantly refused to take part in any negotiations. The Mizukage insists that we're aiming to take over her country just like we tried to take the Fire Country. She's been the most outspoken against us."

"That's why women shouldn't be given power. The Tsuchikage approves of methods like this too much to attack unless he saw us a threat, and the Kazekage brat doesn't make any waves of his own without Konoha holding his hand. Either way, it's either mist or fire assassins, or another group entirely."

"Another group would be a better bet. Mercenaries perhaps, no nation's hand can be detected unless a mercenary speaks. Until they're captured and sure to die, there's no reason to speak. As long as they're paid they retain their silence."

"Guess that makes the other nations being involved still feasible. I'm not overlooking any 'possibilities' this time." Nobaru turned, it was book work time and he wasn't looking forward to it. "Finish up with your team, then head home. I'll probably be calling you out early tomorrow."

"Yeah I'll try to hurry. Guess I should go check on them." Haru waved over his shoulder and made another pass through the hall Tenten had been waiting in a vent in. She had almost dozed off as she waited for Nobaru and Haru to finish speaking.

Right when he passed, the chakra rushed through the hall and subsided, and she drew as much of it in as she could take, before transferring it to her scroll, rolling it up, and sealing it. It would be a while before she could sneak out undetected, but her job was done for the night. All that was left to do was wait for a chance to get out safely.

Neji glanced at the clock. It was three hours past her 'goal' time to return, and Tenten still hadn't come back. There was no reason to worry yet. There had been no alarms, and no one came pounding on his door. ANBU was not descending on his house yet, so Tenten was still fine. Ryuu was curled up against her pillow. He wasn't asleep but he was doing his best to not irritate Neji, who had a strange habit of looking at a clock every fifteen minutes. Frowning, Neji went back to the books. He wouldn't rest until Tenten was back and he was sure she didn't need any healing. She'd probably even collect more then she did last time. He knew she could handle it better, especially now that she had already been exposed to so much of Haru's chakra.

The cat stretched out a paw onto the blankets before resting his head against it and purring. The snow was falling outside more heavily than before, the house was almost dead silent. The cat yawned and his tail flicked around lightly. It had been a very long night of waiting. At the fourth hour, Neji got up and made tea. At four hours and thirty-six minutes, he felt her tired chakra coming to the house, and went to wait for her. "Pushed yourself again, didn't you?

"Not really." She answered quietly. "Security was too tight to get out any sooner, and I couldn't follow Haru, I had to wait for him to come to me." Tenten slipped off her shoes and hid them out of sight. "Did you sleep at all?"

He shook his head. "I was up working on theories for you. I lost track of time." He didn't feel the need to point out that he had recently made and drank tea. "How do you feel?"

Tenten shrugged and pulled off the outer layers of her snow covered clothes. "I'm a bit sore and dizzy. I didn't have to deal with prolonged exposure."

He took the cold clothes from her and took her to the bedroom. "Come on, lay down." He helped her onto the mattress and gave her a cup of hot tea. "Even if you feel fine, I'm going to look over you." He told her, hands already warming with chakra.

"It's really not that bad." She tried to assure him before his expression told her that if she didn't lay down, he'd force her down, and she wouldn't be enjoying it. "Ok, ok..."

"You know better than to argue with me." Neji said, unbuttoning her shirt which revealed the bindings underneath. He started his work methodically, starting at her minds eyes and working his way down her body, lingering where there was a knot of Haru's chakra in the flow or a particularly raw channel. "You're much better this time than last." He noted, his hands lightly resting at her sides.

"Yeah, like I said, I uh...I kinda had to wait for Haru to come to me, so I didn't have to deal with a lot of his chakra at once, and consistently." She decided, she liked his hands where they were very much.

"If you can handle it like this every time, we may be able to pull it off with little problems." He pressed on her lower stomach, working out a small bit of Haru's chakra that had gathered there

"Maybe..." She quickly decided she liked his hand there too. "I heard some things too."

"Oh, what did you hear?" His hands continued lower, moving to caress a hip bone each, before slowly making their way down her thighs.

Her cheeks turned red when she agreed, that no matter where his hands were, if they were on her, she was going to enjoy them there. "T-They uh..." What was she thinking about anyway? "Oh, um, Haru thought there was uh-" Her mind kept wandering while he worked. "-he thought that the murders weren't all connected. Maybe some were uh...just...to uh throw them off. You know, like a distraction."

He saw her cheeks reddened and heard her stutter. "You're exhausted." He said promptly, blaming her spaced out stutters on that simple fact entirely. He began to work more quickly so that she could sleep sooner. "So the other spies are killing random people to lead them off their trail?"

"Probably. While they go off looking for connections they can work undetected, because they're trying to find connections where there are none. The only thing half of them have in common is that they're jounin or researchers." She explained as best she could about the old man though. "So you see, even the specialist couldn't find a connection that he had just forgotten. He was all a distraction. He was attacked to lead them away from his real targets."

"Which begs one to wonder what their purpose is." His hands were on her feet, pressing and massaging the muscles and knotted chakra he found there. "You need to wear better shoes. Your feet are a mess, Haru's chakra aside."

She sat up to argue. "T-They are not..."

He pressed on a stubborn knot, watching her let out a small grunt. "You were saying?"

"Your feet would be a mess too if you were sitting crouched in a vent all night." She pouted stubbornly.

"Better shoes." Neji repeated, pulling the blanket over her, "Get some rest now. You're exhausted even if you won't admit it."

"So are you. You were up the whole time, you didn't even try to sleep."

"I'm going to bed too. Give me a few moments." He went about quickly tidying up and changing into pajamas. "Rest now Tenten." He got into bed, after placing the cat at the foot of the bed, rather than on the floor.

Tenten slid closer to him under the blankets and whispered her good nights while the cat crawled under the covers at the foot of the bed and went back to sleep. He let her snuggle next to him, and even placed his arm around her waist. He watched her a few moments, feeling her chakra going through her body, letting his ebb into hers to soothe her raw system. With his chakra mingling with hers, he let himself fall asleep.

_There was a wet touch to his stomach, a hand trailing down the skin of his bare thigh. Neji let out a soft sigh at the attentions, his skin warming rapidly to the other's touch. The wet kisses trailed over his stomach, along his hipbone, a flash of tongue met his skin and a light, breathless giggle, escaped the one responsible as Neji's length found its way into the warm hands. "Just as eager as I am." A voice, distinctly soft and feminine said with the same breathless murmur as the giggle._

_He moaned openly as the wet touch pressed against the tip of him, teasing and flicking in a way that caused him to shiver, and made him ache to press the hot mouth further down. As his hand descended, it did nothing more than slip through the loose brown hair that tickled his thigh. Finally, after what seemed to be an eternity of teasing kisses and caresses his breath escaped him in a hiss. His manhood was enveloped by her hot, wet mouth. She was licking him, sucking him, practically swallowing him, and her warm hands touched and stroked what her mouth couldn't._

_He felt it building in him, the heat burning hotter and hotter as the mouth sucked harder, and her head bobbed faster. He was doing his best to keep his sounds to muffled grunts as his hands practically tangled in her hair. Her mouth kept going, kept stroking, kept swallowing, and she never pulled away._

_His eyes closed as he panted, the thrill of release still coursing through him, and the girl between his legs crawled up his body. Her hair trailed along his sweat slicked skin, and she pressed a kiss to his lips. He kissed back eagerly, opening his mouth to kiss her more deeply, understandably making a face when he tasted himself. She laughed again, a bit louder against his lips. "Well, that was fun."" She murmured, placing a light peck to his lips. "But now it's my turn Neji. Can you do it?"_

_He opened his eyes, looking at the girl laying atop him. "I'll make you submit one way or another." The Tenten in his dreams just smiled and laughed as she was flipped onto her back. _

Neji awoke with a sharp intake of breath. His face was flushed and he could hear his heart pounding in his ears. _That was..._ it was something that hadn't happened before. At least, it had never been that strong! He shifted, prepared to roll on his side and go back to sleep, when he froze. His pants were... sticky. Of course, as if that fact alone wasn't bad enough, there was the horrifying reality that the girl he had just dreamt about was curled up dangerously close to him. Neji closed his eyes and took a deep, calming breath. This was no big deal. It was a normal thing for teenage boys to go through. He'd choose to ignore the fact that he hadn't been a teenage boy in a few years and had no had a habit of those dreams back then. He would just wake up, wash off, and return to bed.

Then reality set in yet again. She was asleep against him, and her arm rested on his, her head lightly rested against his shoulder now. Tenten was also not the deepest sleeper, and without a doubt she'd wake the instant he moved. She mumbled quietly in her sleep and snuggled against the arm closest to her. Gritting his teeth, he willed her to remain asleep. Gingerly, he moved her arm and tried to slip from the bed. He flinched when he heard the cat meow loudly and lick his arm.

"Ryuu, shh." Tenten mumbled before reaching out blindly to lightly rub the cat behind the ears. "You're going to wake Neji up." Her eyes remained shut, but she was without a doubt, half awake.

He stood up, slowly, normally, and turned away from the half-sleeping girl. "I'm already awake Tenten. Go back to sleep."

"Hmm?" She cracked an eye open and started to sit up. A yawn broke her question apart when she asked why he was up and then promptly told him to lay down and go back to sleep too.

"I'll be back in a moment Tenten. I need to use to the bathroom." His face was still warm, and he hoped to whatever power there was in the heavens, that she could not see the flush in his cheeks.

"Mm, yeah alright." She mumbled before snuggling back into the blankets. The cat hopped onto the other side of her and sat beside her pillow.

Neji hurried to the bathroom, and stripped like his clothes were on fire. Turning the shower on as hot as it would go, ice cold was pointless now, he reminded himself. He stepped inside and scrubbed his skin. _What the hell was that? What was that dream about?_! _Why the hell did it happen? _His students must have been getting to him. While he would admit that he had a slight attraction to Tenten, it certainly wasn't anything of _that_ level. There had to be an explanation. His subconscious had simply conjured the thoughts to reaffirm that he had no interest in the brats that sent him love letters...

Tenten shifted in bed and sat up again. She was certain the shower was running. She glanced at the cat and rubbed her eyes. "Call me crazy, but is he taking a shower at..." She lifted the clock and tried to read it. "...I have no idea what time that says." She mumbled before flopping back against the bed.

Stepping out an feeling marginally better, he frowned when he saw that there was indeed a stain on his boxers, and a slight one on his pants. He rinsed the spots quickly, thankful that it was his turn to do the laundry. He put them in the hamper, and was slightly mortified when he discovered that meant he would be going back to bed, completely naked.

Grabbing a towel, he wrapped it around his waist. Hopefully, Tenten would still be asleep and he'd be able to easily sneak some clothes on. He touched his wet hair and towel dried it as best he could. Drying it would definitely wake Tenten. Perhaps it was fate laughing at him. "So you did take a shower." She said with a hint of sleep still in her voice when he entered the room. Her eyes were shut, but there was the slightest smirk on her lips.

"What are you doing up Tenten? I told you to go back to sleep."

"I heard the water running." She stretched slightly under the blankets and muttered that she was trying to sleep. "I smell the soap."

"I'm done showering, so go back to sleep. I'll be in bed in a moment."

She remained in bed and contemplated the whole thing. There were only a few reasons a man would require a shower at such an hour. In fact rationally there was only one reason she could think of, but others were coming to mind, probably due to exhaustion. Her mind was trying to tell her that she knew exactly why he had gotten up, but in her drowsy state she ignored the inner words of profound wisdom and settled for snuggling deeper into a pillow. "Just make it fast, you woke me up in the first place. The least you could do is get back in bed so I can get back to sleep."

"Since when do you need me to sleep at night?" He turned and got dressed, not aware that Tenten was awake enough to enjoy the view.

She opened her eyes and tried to think how long it had been since she did require him to sleep at than six months? Since the mission started? Yes, since that long at least, she reasoned before her mind went blank and her face turned red. _Oh my..._

Now she was sure that it was entirely possible that she was delusional and she blinked a few times to make sure. She turned her face into the pillow and tried to remain calm. _He's naked...ok...I can handle this. God is he getting into bed like that? I hope s- oh no no no no. No you do not hope so! _Her mental conversation with herself felt like it lasted for ages before she recalled his initial question. "Since this mission started I guess..." She managed to answer without too much indication that she was blushing.

"You shouldn't get too used to it. We'll be going home soon enough." He pulled on boxers, then pajama pants. "Sleep, Tenten." He ordered, while he slipped back into the bed. She resumed her previous position and moved closer to him. She forced him to lay on his back and she curled up at his side, with her head resting lightly against his chest.

"It's just a habit that will break when the mission ends." She muttered quietly, unaware of the dream he had even as she pressed lightly closer to him. "Night..." She murmured lightly before drifting into light sleep again.

He took a deep breath, pressing his thoughts down, and down further still. Wrapping an arm around her waist, he closed his eyes. He needed to at least make the attempt for sleep.

* * *

Every so often, it would be just like that. After days of work with irritating children, after nights of risking both injury and their cover, it would be both of their nights off of worrying, and something would happen. She'd have either or nightmare, or a dream that would keep her fidgeting for hours, or he'd wake in the middle of the night and do everything in his power to not wake her. One week turned to two, one snow storm into the next, one day after another until another time when Tenten was unable to go out. She laid on the bed in severe pain and arguing with her partner. "I got out as soon as I could I swear. I don't know what happened, I just know Haru was in one of 'those moods' again."

"Well if he is in one of 'those moods' you should abandon the mission and try again another time." She was in her undergarments as he went over his body with his chakra. "One of these days, you aren't going to be able to get out if you keep up like this."

"There wasn't much I could do! What do you want me to do? Read his mind to find out what kind of mood he's in before hand?" She fidgeted slightly.

"You should be able to read the nature of his chakra by this point. He hardly has a large amount of control over it." He scoffed, working on a particularly painful spot. She in turn cried out and buried her face into the blankets to muffle the sound.

"For crying out loud, I'm not perfect! The passages were crawling with jounin, by the time I found Haru it was a bit late to have read his chakra and avoided the situation! I was damn near surrounded!" She bit back another cry when the pain seemed to rip through her entire body.

Neji shushed her and focused, he would need a good deal more chakra so he increased the chakra flow to his hands. He ran them slowly over her chest, before turning her on her stomach. "Your back is a mess." He slowly peeled her tank off of her, it was sticky with sweat. The chakra passages in her back weren't just raw or hurt. They looked far worse, they looked burnt. "This isn't the same as before." He muttered, inspecting her closely. Where they still experimenting on Haru, even in the midst of all of all the chaos?

She was certain that she almost had enough chakra to begin working on the tags, but they too would be hard to make, and would probably cause mild cases of chakra poisoning that required days of recovery from. It would be even more difficult to test them, even with chakra wards in the basement, releasing bursts of Haru's chakra in the confined space would be...irritating at the very least. She wiped her eyes while he inspected her chakra. If there was one thing she did not want, it was to admit that the pain had been severe enough to make her cry. She did pride herself in her pain tolerance. Neji hadn't seen her cry in pain for as long as she could remember.

"Am I aggravating the wounds?" Neji asked, seeing her force her head more deeply into the sheets. Sometimes the passages were raw enough from the initial chakra poisoning, that the healing hurt almost as much as the damage before it started to feel better. "I can lessen the intensity if it will help."

"I'll live." She managed to answer without her voice breaking. "How bad is it?" She asked him quietly to hide the slight shake in her voice.

Neji sighed, shaking his head lightly to move his bangs from his eyes. "You'll live, but you won't be moving for the next few days. It's worse than the first time. You've built up a bit of a resistance to his chakra, so your body took more damage before the symptoms were obvious to you."

She sighed, having figured that would be the case. "I don't..." She started but stopped, the pain just seemed to continue to pulse through her, and she wanted to say she couldn't recall the last time she'd been in so much pain. When she felt each little wave of pain rip through her, her thoughts just scattered. "I can't remember a time I've ever felt so much pain." She kept her face buried in the blankets to hide her tears. She hated crying, it always made her feel weak, but the pain beyond anything she had experienced.

"You've taken a lot of damage." Neji's eyes caught her flinch and the way her shoulders tensed, he knew she was at her limit. He took the first aid kit he had a habit of leaving next to the bed, and pulled out a few strong pain killers. "Here, this will help the pain and let you sleep." He held the two to her lips, a glass of water that was almost always now present on the bedside table was in his hand.

Tenten turned her head away and grabbed a pillow to pull over her head. Her dignity was already shattered, she was crying in pain, and he knew it. She hated that he knew she couldn't handle the pain. Pride...if it didn't kill him first, it damn well would kill her.

"Tenten, suffering won't make it any more honorable. Swallow you pride and the damned pills along with it." He chastised, taking the pillow from her with a quick jerk. She reached out and grabbed the pills and took them.

"You know, I'd have made anyone else go out and do this damn work themselves, knowing what I do about how I handle that guy's chakra!" She all but yelled at him, unaware that her pain was dictating her words far more than rational thought. "But no, stupid me, you ask and I run right out there and do it. If you were anyone else I'd have told you to go to hell and do it yourself."

"In case you've forgotten, I have offered to do it in your place." Neji said calmly, knowing that Tenten was just hurt and cranky now. "You insisted upon it because you had more training in this field and are more suited for the task then I am. Now, go to sleep and try to rest."

Tenten winced, she had not meant to yell at him. "I-I'm sorry, I didn't mean that." She heard Ryuu purring next to her and felt him lightly pawing at her arm in concern.

"I know." He pressed her down so she was laying down again. "Now sleep and get some 'll be a while before you recover fully."

Tenten in response tugged him down and buried her face against his shoulder. "Will you stay close?" She asked in more a begging manner, before telling him why. "Get all my weapons out of this room, and I don't care put me on suicide watch." She confessed that the constant waves of pain were enough that she'd certainly consider doing herself harm to stop it.

"You're not in that much pain." Neji said, though he laid down in bed with her, letting her cling. "If you start acting that disturbed, I can simply paralyze you. It won't be good for your system though, so I suggest you avoid it." He pulled her closer and allowed his chakra to pass more freely between them. It had taken years to learn how to allow his chakra to flow just so it had a therapeutic nature, rather than a destructive one. The cat carefully snuck across the pillows and nudged at her with his head. She spent most of the night trying not to cry, or at the very least to cry silently. She couldn't sleep despite her best attempts.

"I think it could have killed me." She said quietly some few hours later. The chakra was certainly potent enough, and had Neji not been assisting her recovery she was certain the continued exposure would have caused serious problems. "I was scared, waiting it out while it got worse and worse."

"It could have." Neji agreed, he wasn't getting much sleep either. "It didn't though, and that's what matters."

From their small broken conversation over the hours, he had made it quite clear that it would be at least a week or two before she would be back to normal. It would be very difficult to explain that one to people. "Your students will be thrilled, when they find out I'm 'seriously ill' this time. I bet they were just so irritated at my 'cold' last week."

"One of the girls promised to comfort me when you passed from illness." He admitted, petting her hair to soothe her. "Taiki's insisting you get vaccinations though. He believes that's what's causing it."

"Luckily that's what Nobaru thinks too." She mumbled. She had bumped into him on a very few irritating occasions and he had insisted that she hurry up and get the vaccinations. At least, he said, if she wanted to live through the winter. "Apparently small bouts of persistent illness are symptoms of that horrible illness they mentioned. Nobaru told me to stay away from him, vaccinated or not, and hurry and get my own vaccinations taken care of."

"At least he's not teasing you about cooties or herpes anymore." His joking voice barely concealed his frown. "It's only a matter of time before they force me to get them. Sakura's paperwork on allergies will only protect me for so long." The wind howled outside the window while she nodded in response.

Tenten was certain the snow outside was being blown around into another whiteout, and would leave large drifts of snow all over the place in the morning. "I wonder how everyone's doing this winter..." She said quietly while thinking about everyone's reactions to weather like this. "I keep, trying to focus on Lee's expression if he saw all this snow." She smiled faintly for a few seconds before biting her lip in response to the spikes of pain.

"After running around like an idiot screaming about youth at the top of his lungs, he'd flop in the snow like a kid. Then someone would start a snowball fight and try to defeat everyone." He smoothed her hair, trying to help soothe her pain. Reminiscing always seemed to take her mind off things for a short time, perhaps that was exactly what she required.

"He'd throw snowballs at you until you turned it into a snowball war." She smiled faintly. Talking about the things that would happen, did take her mind off of the pain a bit. "I'd beat you all though."

"Until Gai-sensei got involved. Then it would be you and I against him and Lee until one of us gave up or we turned them against each other." He absentmindedly removed the buns carefully, stroking his fingers through her hair. He enjoyed having his hair pet as much as he would protest it, he doubted it would hurt Tenten.

She laughed weakly between spikes of slight pain soothed over by him stroking her hair. "We'd have them turned against each other fast, all we'd have to do is find a way to make them challenge each other. We'd win by default." Team Gai had always functioned in such a way. Gai and Lee were a team, partners, as similar in skill as appearance. She and Neji were a team, they had been since they graduated the academy, out of necessity at first. "See who can make two thousand snowballs first without being hit by snowballs from the other, or something silly like that."

"Or who could make the largest snowman." His fingers danced along her scalp, massaging her skin as he waited for her second dose of pills to take affect. They should make her drowsy soon enough and then make her drift into sleep. "Then we would slip away, out to lunch or another training ground."

"Lunch would be safer." She murmured before snuggling closer to him. "No chance I'd be tempted to hit you with a snow ball."

"Training would have been more pleasant. It was enjoyable, being able to have harmless play fights every so often." He murmured letting his fingers lightly brush over her eyes so they would shut.

"You're going to work in the morning right?" She asked quietly, half concerned that he would be going and she'd be stuck alone and barely able to move due to pain, and half concerned that he wouldn't go and she would be forced to stay in bed while he took care of her.

"I will tell them that you are sick and that I need to take care of you. My assistant can spend the day reviewing with them. If you're lucky, Karou might bring over more of those sesame buns she bought last time."

"I'm not going to be able to sleep." She said quietly though she did thank him, because the constant presence of his chakra was without any doubt helping greatly.

"We'll see about that." He answered gently, she was pained, but he was going to try and numb it enough so that she could rest for the night. It did take almost the entire night, but eventually Tenten did fall asleep. She slept fitfully, which did not allow her partner much rest, but she did sleep. Ryuu purred soothingly from her pillow and remained in a small ball most of the night, only moving to stretch a paw or flick his tail, and occasionally stare at his male owner.

Only once she was asleep did he allow himself to rest. He could get a few short hours before he had to call off work. Taiki was going to become even more insistent of the immunizations, but he tried not to let it bother him while he took the few hours of sleep he could.

The few hours were oh so painfully short, as the cat purred and pawed at Neji until he woke up. Eventually he tangled his paw in Neji's hair and began to meow and cry excessively. Ryuu did not like having his paw tangled and his male owner would either help him, or have a nasty tangle in his hair. "Mm. Ow. Damnit." Neji sat up, cursing as the cat came up with him. "Stop struggling you stupid fur ball." He carefully extracted the claws from his hair and scowled. He was going to get split ends now. "I'm up, you'll get fed soon enough." He would make sure that Tenten got some more pills in her first, she was looking more pained than the previous night.

The cat hopped over to the bedside table and meowed by the clock. Neji grumbled under his breath. It took a few minutes before he was able to force himself out of bed and down the hall. In the kitchen he called the school while he dumped food in the cat's bowl. Explaining that his wife was ill, he washed his hands as he prepared some hot broth and pills for Tenten. He hung up the phone and returned to his pretend lover. "Wake up Tenten." He lightly brushed his hand across her cheek, having no desire to jostle her awake.

"Hm?" She opened her eyes slightly and winced. The pain had returned completely. Her entire body ached, her head ached, the very chakra in her felt like it was burning. "...Think I have a fever." She mumbled.

"You don't have a fever, It's the chakra inside of you." He held the pills to her lips. "This will help you feel better." He urged her to take them without a fuss. Fortunately, she let him give her the pills but insisted that she felt like she had a fever. Her body didn't want to remain still, but it caused her even greater pain to move.

"Wish I could have gotten out sooner..." She muttered, still slightly asleep. "...This is just...too much."

"It will pass." He assured her, bringing the glass of cool water to her lips. She would need a bit of healing until she had the strength to eat. "Just relax. I'm going to try and purge the chakra from your body." He pulled away the blankets and brushed his hands over her skin.

"Kinda hard to relax." She answered as the pain continued to assault her. Her mind was so caught up in the pain that she didn't realize much of what he was doing, had she had a clear mind she might have argued and blushed a bit.

"Remember your training from when you were younger. Close your eyes and focus, ignore everything around you and within you." He coached, activating his byakugan and watching the flow of the chakra in her. Her chakra was being forced around more rapidly than normal by more potent chakra, and he purged it with is own where he found it.

"E-easier said than done." She winced. Training like that was not done during intense bouts of pain like she was experiencing.

"Yet, not as hard as you make it out to be." He followed the flow of chakra and frowned, his hand came to a rest over Tenten's heart. _It's gathering there, clogging her central chakra points, and without a doubt causing her excruciating pain._ "Close your eyes and do it. You have more strength then you're letting on."

She closed her eyes and tried as best she could to do as he said. She winced, squeezed her eyes shut, and tried to not be mortified when tears managed to slip through. The searing pain that ripped through her chakra network eased slightly, but it was still enough to make her want to kill something. "Tenten, stop thinking and focusing on the pain. Close your eyes and work past it. You can do it." Neji's words were firm and final.

"Stop talking to me like I'm not trying." She snapped. Even if he was able to take the pain and deal with it himself, she wouldn't want him too. She did not like the idea of him suffering the pain she was enduring anymore than she liked suffering it herself.

"You don't need to try Tenten. You just need to do." Neji said. It was a trick that worked for him when he needed to push past pain, past doubt. It should help her get through it long enough for him to deal with the chakra.

"How much damage would it cause, to a single point, if you contained most of the chakra there? Somewhere more tolerable?"

"It depends entirely on where. Most of the chakra centers that can handle the strain of such a large amount of chakra are the most painful to endure."

"It hurts just to breathe like this, anywhere else would be a relief." She opened her eyes slowly and smiled a bit. "I know you can't make it stop, but maybe you could force it elsewhere, I think I could tolerate the pain elsewhere, I can't stand feeling like I'm suffocating."

"I can move it to several other smaller points." He suggested, moving his hands over her body. His chakra would enter her, force the chakra that he couldn't remove to several points in her arms and legs, and then he would close the passages to contain it. "This should help ease the burn, though now it will be all over instead of focused on your chest." He explained, still soothing her body. When the chakra subsided a bit more naturally, he could purge the rest if she could tolerate a few more days of pain.

"That'll be fine. I'll be able to rest better knowing I can breathe without being in pain." The pressure of chakra in her chest eased up almost completely, the pain was focused in different locations, and painful though it was, divided it was not as unbearable and she murmured her thanks.

He sat up, wiping the sweat that had accumulated from his brow. "You should eat. You will feel better if you do." He pulled her gently up against him while he rearranged the pillows behind her, then he gently laid her back against them.

She nodded in agreement. "Food sounds like a good idea." Her arms and legs ached far more than they ever had in the time she had been an active ninja, more than any broken bone or sprain, more than direct injury even. She breathed in deeply and released the breath slowly. "It feels so much better, without all that crushing, burning pressure. Thank you, Neji." She smiled slightly.

"You're welcome." He left the room to set about cooking an easy meal for Tenten. He cleaned up where she normally would have and brought soup, rice, dumplings, and tea to Tenten. "Can you sit up by yourself?"

"If I can't you have to promise you will never tell anyone about this." She pushed herself into a sitting position despite pain in her arms. At least, she mused, she was able to breathe now, pain in her arms and legs was a small price to pay.

He adjusted the pillows behind her slightly and allowed her to sink back into them once more. "What reason would I have for telling anyone about this?" He placed the tray across her lap gently.

"Revenge for making you deal with a cat? I don't know..." She offered while looking over the food.

"My revenge for the cat will be much more cruel and lasting." He held the spoon out to her.

"Like what?" She asked, taking the spoon from him. "You're too nice to me, what could you possibly do that would be so cruel?" She began eating slowly, giving herself time to adjust to the pain in her arm.

He sat next to her, thinking for a moment. "I will force you to go on an overnight shopping trip to a large city with Ino and Sakura." He suggested after a prolonged moment of debating what Tenten would classify as torture. "And I will pack your bags so you will be stuck in clothing that even Ino would call it girly."

"Sure you want to do that? They'd make me show you everything they bought." She glared fakely at him. "You know what that means," she smirked, "they'd make you sit, see everything they got me. Remember what I said about them wanting me to get crotchless panties?"

"You underestimate me Tenten." He leaned back against the headboard. "I will be away on a long mission when you return."

"Ino and Sakura would never allow that..." She mumbled between bites.

"Since when do I allow them to control my life?" He asked, brow raised, and the faintest traces of curiousity flickered in his eyes.

"You didn't get out of it last time they took me shopping." She smirked recalling their fake wedding. Looking back on it, the whole ordeal had been funny. Even being stuck in a thong was sort of amusing in hindsight.

"It was for the mission. This will have nothing to do with any missions."

"They'll find you and you won't get out of it." She explained it as making a deal with a pair of devils. "I can suffer the embarrassment I'm sure, but they will not allow you to get out of it unscathed, they'll be certain that if you do that, it's because you wanted to see the results." She ate her dumplings with a cheerful smile.

" I could tell them about all your suitors here." He grabbed a dumpling, nibbling it. "Say that there was one who caught your eye."

They'd know you were lying." She moved on to her rice. "And if they didn't for any reason, Lee would be able to set them straight. He knows me well enough."

"Then I would have to sit through their little fashion show." He shrugged, taking another small bite. "A few hours boredom would be a small price to pay."

She chuckled slightly, certain Neji could never be convincing enough to lie about someone catching her interest. "You're a decent actor Neji, but trust me, you're not good enough to convince them that anyone here caught my attention."

"Then I will have to think of another punishment, wouldn't I?" He finished the dumpling and leaned back.

She nodded. "Go on run your ideas by me. I'm all ears." She lifted her bowl of soup away when Ryuu tried to sneak up to it.

"What? You want me to ruin the surprise for you?" He asked, lifting the cat and setting him on the floor. "Go. I put food in your bowl."

"I know a good way to torture you." She said quietly while finishing off her soup.

"Oh? And what is that?" His curiousity was piqued. It wasn't often Tenten had something to tease him with that didn't involve his intolerance to spicy food.

"Replacing all your clothes with Lee's, recording him yelling something youthful...and switching out your alarm clock with it, cut your hair like Lee's...do you really want me to keep going?" She smirked at his expression.

"What of these things could you realistically do?" He asked, confident she liked his long hair too much to cut it.

"Most of it." None of it. Her mind told her over and over, that if she did any of it, it would ruin every perfectly good sexual fantasy she'd ever had about him. "Yeah I'd have to have someone else cut your hair I guess, I'm not that cruel, but I could do the other parts."

"It would give you nightmares for me to look like that." He suggested, not paying attention to the grey fur ball that was now climbing back into his lap.

"Yeah and it wouldn't give you nightmares to know that Ino and Sakura were forcing me into bits of undergarments that don't cover anything?"

"While unnecessary, it would not be traumatizing you see you scantily clad." The cat was now sitting triumphantly in his lap. "Or, have you forgotten I have seen you naked before on several occasions, Tenten?"

"Not fully." She argued. "Being in undergarements is not naked, Neji."

He shrugged. "It does not bother me." The prospect of a near naked Tenten was hardly an unpleasant one.

Now it all took a few minutes for all the information to be processed. Ryuu was purring happily on Neji and after a few seconds Tenten blinked at Neji in disbelief. "Did you just say you wouldn't mind seeing me totally...naked?" Her face was caught somewhere between embarrassment and shock. She had to have heard something wrong somewhere.

"It is not a horrible situation." He gave her a strange look. "While I'm not going to go out of my way to peek at your naked body, I'm not going to run screaming and crying like Nobaru would."

Her mind remained entirely blank despite his explanation. "Yeah...good to know." She shook her head a few times. "You sure you're not on something?" She asked waving a hand in front of his face. Maybe he was dizzy...or something...

"I'm perfectly fine Tenten. Would you prefer to say that you have a disgusting body?

"It's not like you to say anything like that...that's all." She looked away aware that it would do little to conceal her embarrassment. He had seen more of her than anyone ever had, and it did embarrass her slightly. The idea of him seeing her completely naked wasn't horrible though, far from it- _As long as he's naked too...oh god I'm turning into my mother._ She shut her eyes and mentally shook off her thoughts.

He shrugged, looking down at the cat preparing to sleep on his lap. "What do you think you're doing?" Again he lifted the cat off him.

Tenten heard the cat meow lightly and glanced out of the corner of her eye at Neji and Ryuu. She could hear her mother's lecture in her mind about how crazy she was for not just doing what she wanted to do on impulse. She could hear her own thoughts reminding her that he'd never forgive her, and Ryuu was purring so damn loudly. He placed the cat in her lap and moved the empty tray to the side. "Are you still in that much pain?" She still looked stressed and pained, he could still see where her muscles were more tense than they ought to be.

"Not really, it's much better now." She said quietly.

Again he helped her sit up more, and shifted the pillows behind her. "You should rest more. You are still recovering Tenten."

"I know." She agreed quietly. She was still having a mental debate with her memories of her mother's opinions. It was all making her head spin, her thoughts, her mother's opinions on those thoughts, his concern, Ryuu was sure as hell happy- at least based on that purring he was. "My head kind of hurts, I guess I should try to sleep."

He lifted his hands and gently placed them against her temples, allowing only a small amount of his chakra enter her. It would ease the pain only minimally, but it would probably work faster than medicine. "Do you want more medication?"

"I'll just try to sleep it off." She was no better at allowing someone to take care of her than he was. His actions brought a smile to her face nonetheless. "It'll be easier to sleep now that the pain isn't in my chest."

He nodded, content with her decision to sleep, he pulled the blankets up around her. "Good night." He told her quietly before she startled him. She tugged him down lightly and curled up against him. It was one of the few things she'd do on impulse and it would satisfy her mother's thoughts just enough to grant her some peaceful rest, though it would do little to calm her restless thoughts.

He sighed, he was still wearing normal clothing instead of his pajamas. He frowned, banishing thoughts of his last dream from his mind. He held her gently against him, she was in too much pain to be thinking of anything like that. Neji could not have been further from correct.

Her mother's interior monologue about being more impulsive was silenced, and her thoughts wandered to the ones she had had during their discussion about revenge. She shifted closer and let sleep claim her while entertaining less than pure thoughts about him holding her. Only a faint smile tugged at her lips as she fell into deeper slumber, most of her pain totally forgotten in favor of her dream.

* * *

AN: Ahem...back to school special? Well, that's it for now, not sure when I'll get time to update, but I promise I'll try to find the time! Wish me luck in school! Two bloody years of insanity commence!


	26. Chapter 26

**Disillusioned**

by: Faraway Dawn and Kigen

AN: You guys are freaking incredible. You have stayed with our story through thick and thin and...a whole year of me being in college with little time to work! Well this is for all of you still out there, still reading. I do hope you enjoy a very particular line of Tenten's in this chapter...hehe it's one of my more 'proud' writing moments haha.

ENJOY! I'm back to school in a week, but I will try to update a bit more since I only have classes 2 days a week in the summer.

* * *

Chapter 26

Tenten was back to work in the evenings within a week or two; to their great relief, she only had to deal with increased security. She admitted that dealing with Haru's chakra was irritating but not impossible. For whatever reason, she joked, chakra poisoning did her some good. Neji was less than amused that it meant he was back to dealing with girls who were obsessed with him, and boys that were obsessed with her. Neither of which seemed capable of passing a simple test about basic poisons and antidotes.

"It could be much worse." Tetsumi said quietly. "It could have been a field test and not a written one..."

Neji had cringed at the thought of a field test. Last time one of his students had attempted to hit a target, they managed to singe his hair, which lead to an hour of trimming and straightening ends. The poisons and antidotes however had been one of the worst tests thus far, and sadly the 'antidotes' listed by the students, were usually more deadly the poisons themselves.

"It's just a major concern that half the class listed other poisons as antidotes." Tetsumi rubbed his forehead lightly and sighed. "Shows how many were paying attention."

"They're too distracted, we need to think of another teaching method." Neji frowned, rubbing his cheek. They had been improving so much for so short a time.

"Well they did really well for a while, even if they are bad at this, they're so much better than they were." He shifted graded papers around and looked through his things. "Winter is a bad time for a field test, so they're lucky we can't do a field test of poisons and antidotes, because sadly, out in the field is the best place to learn about natural antidotes."

"The main problem is that they're distracted. They're too busy paying attention to the melodrama of their childhood lives to pay attention to what they're doing." Neji frowned, if he was going to go for victory, he was going to go for full victory. "We need another teaching method."

"Like what? If they're distracted the only way to fix it is to eliminate the source of distraction. Kind of hard to do..."

"Not if they're too busy focusing on other things..." a bit of an evil smirk played at the corner of his lips.

His assistant was slightly nervous at his expression. "Tsubasa? What do you have in mind?"

"I'm just thinking of taking the peer teaching to another level. Have the possibility of embarrassment to come into play..." he leaned back in his chair and continued. "Each child is assigned a different project and forced to give a presentation to the class. Afterwards, I give my own presentation, correcting upon the mistakes of the children."

His assistant liked the idea. "It'll force them to focus on their work, or suffer humiliation in front of the entire class...Harsh, but effective."

"If that doesn't work, two students will give reports on the same thing. The class will take a vote on who did it better. The child lacking will be forced to do another report and so on until they're falling over themselves to get out of the extra work."

The two always paid close attention to the whispers in the room. Usually they were hushed arguments between boy and girl over who was better, Tsubasa or Amaya. Others were about who didn't pass the last test and since no one had gotten a perfect score, who had done the worst. The whispers stopped, and turned to other subjects. Now there were whispers that they were going to be overloaded with work if they didn't do better, and Neji's assistant chuckled. "Well someone has gotten better at listening into our conversations." He picked up a little origami flower from the garbage one of the girls had thrown away and looked it over. Unfolding it revealed badly done, but effective seals. "Clever." He handed Tsubasa the flower. "I imagine there is one in the back of the class that covers the flower with our speech so it can be read at any time."

Neji chuckled. _Clever kids._ "Destroy it; after you do, come up with a list of poisons and antidotes. We'll go along with the first idea for now. Choose whatever you think they'd have to work hardest to get."

The flower was quickly destroyed and returned to the wastebasket. Tetsumi compiled a list rather quickly, all consisting of foreign poisons and their antidotes, something that generally was not learned until one was a chuunin. "It'll be ready by their break time."

"Good, we'll assign it for tonight and have it due this time next week, it will be interesting to say the least."

A few hours later, it wasn't so much 'interesting' in the class, as it was a state of total paranoia. Children apparently did not take well to being threatened in a manner that involved their embarrassment. One of the brighter students pointed out that the poisons were not native to Lightning Country, another argued that was far from the problem, most of the antidotes weren't native to the country the poison originated in. "Well...at least two people will pass." Tetsumi muttered.

Neji heard that. "If the entire class does not pass, then there will be more essays for every student until everyone passes the same round of reports. For every two reports that anyone does not pass, the length of the papers will be doubled."

"That's not fair!" One of the boys argued. "Why are we being punished because some people," he shot an irritated glare to a quarter of the room, "refuse to be productive and work?" Tetsumi noted the boy was one of the few in the class not in any danger of failing. The girl sitting next to the boy nodded fervently.

"This will teach you all teamwork. After the first report, you'll be allowed to help each other with your reports, as long as you are not writing the report for them." He knew the pressure would undoubtedly convince a few stranglers to try harder, if their classmates didn't.

"Can we at least choose who we work with on the second one?" The girl asked hopefully, like her classmate, sending death glares at the students who were giggling and saying she just wanted to work with her 'boyfriend' alone. "Oh, forgive me for wanting to pass, unlike the rest of you."

"No partners. Peer helping. You have the choice to help those around you. You are under no obligations, unless you like writing twenty page papers."

"I'd rather write a twenty page paper with a partner who pulls their own weight than help someone do a ten page paper with who'll make me do all the work." The girl mumbled resuming her seat next to her partner and sighing. Her and her partner's expressions very reminiscent of a time when it had been he and Tenten irritated with their class.

"Alright then, Aya and Ren, you each have a twenty page paper due on your poison and antidote for the report, feel free to help each other." Neji leaned back in his chair while Tetsumi quirked a brow at their rather...pleased expressions.

"They really shouldn't look happy about it." Tetsumi muttered to Neji.

"Maybe I should limit them to a page long report to see if it kills them." Neji mused while making a few notes.

"You want to kill off your best students?" His assistant finished assigning the last of the poisons and antidotes. There were more whines and protests, but none worth paying attention to. Most were merely that five pages was too long, and others argued that there was no way they could get the materials they would need for research.

"You have a week. Get creative. If you can't find material in the library or your books, talk to some of the local poison makers. They'll be more than willing to help if you ask properly." Neji answered their complaints with a small sigh.

While most of the class whined a few had already begun sharing what information they had on other people's assigned poison or antidote. "They remind me of a couple I know." Neji's assistant said lightly . Aya and Ren were already sharing their information both looked more or less amused by their workload than concerned by it. "At least the way they act around each other, they remind me of you and your wife, not sure why."

Neji would have turned and given him a look if he wasn't pretending to be blind. "They do act similar to when Amaya and I were in school, though she was more obsessed with trying to outwit me." He only half lied. Tenten had been interested in trying to prove she was smarter, but only for a while. There were times Neji could admit he was certain Tenten was smarter than him, but most of the time he felt as though they were on a very level playing field.

"Whatever works, if they push each other to do well, I'm not complaining. Pity the rest of the class can't do it." He handed Neji the graded papers and continued with his work, grateful that there was only another hour left in the long day of whining children.

It was an interesting, Neji admitted to himself, and perhaps the children where a bit more like him and Tenten than he admitted. The thought was reinforced when he felt the boy's chakra brush the girl's, and her chakra brightened, clearly responding positively to his. They certainly would make good partners when they grew older, Neji mused, much like he and Tenten.

Tetsumi handed Neji a few more reports before the approaching end of another long day. "The snow storms are getting worse, we have leave to send the kids home a bit early before it gets too dark."

Neji nodded, he stood and shoved his chair back into place. "All right class. Head out. There's another storm coming in, so go straight home, understood?

Most of the students hurried and got their things to leave, a few agreed to walk home together because they lived nearby, others were plain going out of their ways. "I'll see you next week," Tetsumi said gathering his own things, "I'll try to make sure everyone on the north end of the village gets home."

"All right, I'll take Kotaru home." He was the only student on the southern end of the village that lived far enough away from the school to need walked home in foul weather.

The snow piled up rapidly through the day and the encroaching storm only appeared to be making it worse. Tenten laid on the couch with the cat curled up against her. She was still worn out from her night out, but admittedly she wasn't suffering anymore. Ryuu purred loudly in his sleep and she shifted slightly. Neji would be home any minute. Then she could spoil him with fantastic news.

After dropping the kid off and trudging through outrageous amounts of snow only because the child could not yet run across the top of the snow, Neji quickly returned home and let out a slight sigh when he shut the door behind him. "I'm home." He called out, taking off his snow heavy clothing, how he wished for Konoha's mild winters. He swore in his mind he would never complain about them again.

"In here." She answered, smirking when Ryuu promptly woke and stretched. "How was the day? Minus the trudging through snow of course."

"The children hate me and think I'm evil incarnate, but other than that good." He walked into the living room, sat on the couch next to her, and groaned quietly. "Being around children all day, should not be as tiring as it is."

"Well, better than being their 'boy toy' right?" She asked stretching out slightly. "I have good news for you though."

"What's that?" He asked shoving Ryuu off his lap and onto the floor.

With a bright smirk she lifted three scrolls. "All done, I can start working on the tags, I have more than enough to make some to start testing."

The faintest hints of a smile tugged at Neji's lips. "Good. Now we might be able to sneak into the laboratories." To his relief, it also meant Tenten wouldn't be going out every night, and would no longer in great danger of returning with severe chakra poisoning. "We can start working on them tonight."

"We?" She blinked a few times, he was going to help? "You're...going to help me?"

"Did you think you were going to do this by yourself?" Neji raised an elegant brow in her direction, almost amused that she thought he wouldn't be helping.

She shrugged. "It's a lot of work."

"This is exactly why I am going to help you Tenten. You shouldn't be surprised by this."

"I guess I shouldn't be. It'll be...irritating though." She smiled though and thanked him. She caught Ryuu when he tried to jump onto Neji, and held him still. "I could use the company at the least."

"I may not know as much as you, but I know enough to help with the bindings at least." Haru's chakra didn't react as strongly with his either, and he hoped at least the presence of his chakra would help her work easier.

"Yeah, you know more than enough to help me with this actually." Ryuu managed to climb free and up onto her shoulders. She felt the cat swatting at her bangs and trying to paw at her buns lightly and she simply rolled her eyes at the feline's antics. "I'd let Ryuu help too if I knew my seals wouldn't be marked with paw prints all over the place."

"Or that he wouldn't accidently open a scroll that would incinerate the house." Reaching into the couch cushions, he pulled out a toy mouse and chucked it down the hall for Ryuu to chase. Ryuu hopped first from Tenten's shoulder, then off the couch, and then he scampered down the hall.

"If only you could take care of kids so easily..." Tenten teased lightly.

"I can. Ever see two dozen kids scramble after an extra credit kunai?" He chuckled, that had been an amusing lesson, and it had taught the class the value of being perceptive and quick.

"Yeah...our entire class did it at the end of basic combat training, because only three of us did well, you and me among them."

"Only one of my kunai was worth the extra credit though, not multiple kunai." He answered with a satisfied tone. Now he understood why their instructors had been so satisfied with the idea of extra credit kunai.

"Cute." She stretched again slowly. "What torture did you subject them to today?"

"Poisons and Antidotes. They all have a five page paper and oral presentation for next week. Except Ren and Aya, they get to do twenty page reports."

"OK, twenty pages for two of them? What did they do to piss you off?"

He smirked. "They implied that they were too good for the rules I set in place. They enjoy it."

Tenten rolled her eyes with a laugh. "Wow that sounds so familiar."

"Does it?" He leaned back into the couch, enjoying the feel of it after a long day at a desk.

"It sounds like us in school. You used to get us double the work load all the time." She smiled though and leaned back as well. She had no complaints, she got a lot of extra credit for it, and he was granted the honor of being labeled the most arrogant, brilliant jerk in the class.

"The schoolwork was boring."He answered, getting to his feet. "I'm going to get started on dinner."

"I'll get the table set and get some tea made."

He nodded, stepping into the kitchen. When Ryuu ran at him with the toy, he kicked it down the hall for him to chase again. "In the mood for anything in particular?

"Anything you want is fine." She answered pulling out plates and cups for tea.

He nodded again, getting out the various things to make their dinner. "Stop it cat." He glared down at the feline who had dropped its toy at his feet. "I don't want to play with you now."

"We'll play in a bit Ryuu, let him cook." The cat, promptly grabbed his toy and returned to the living room to sleep on the couch. "Oh yeah, that too, I got Ryuu to learn when to leave you be."

"What was that,a secret hand signal?" The cat did not understand what they said; the cat did not answer to vocal commands that complex.

"Chakra. Barely detectable." She smiled and held out a small cup of tea for him. "Animals respond to chakra like all living things. You just have to find the right amount."

"You'll have to show me." There was no way he'd use the byakugan to figure out a chakra kitty command.

She laughed lightly. "Yeah, no problem."

"Go ahead and set the table. The food will be ready shortly." Dinner was fast, pleasant, and as usual filled with discussion about evil children. Occasionally they'd discuss their real work but for the time, Neji seemed alright with just talking about the kids in his class.

"So your assistant said that pair you have in your class, reminds him of us...creepy that he's making that connection, considering he really has no idea how similar they do sound to us." Ryuu was sitting quietly on the floor, not trying to steal food at all, and Tenten knew Neji would be demanding by the end of the night to learn the simple trick that had Ryuu behaving.

"We don't act anything like that anymore, especially as Amaya and Tsubasa. I don't know how he caught it." Neji admitted, glaring at the kitten. "Shoo. You're food is in the kitchen."

"Ryuu, food's in the kitchen." She nodded and watched the cat trot off. "He probably caught it because we are in fact best friends. It's kind hard to miss that."

Neji looked at the kitten, incredibly annoyed. "That is true," he muttered, glaring at the cat.

"Don't worry I'll teach you what to do." Tenten smiled while finishing off her food. "I need to make stronger chakra wards for the basement." She added absentmindedly, considering how much chakra she'd be working with, her current wards wouldn't be strong enough.

"I'll make several of my own to compliment yours." He gathered their empty plates to take to the kitchen. While he washed, she dried and put away the dishes. The cat continued to only behave and respond to Tenten's orders. The whole while Neji grumbled and glared at the cat, she was lost in thought about how to go about making and testing the seals they would be using.

Neji put away the last plate, finally unable to take it any longer. "How are you doing that?"

"Doing what?" She asked while placing the last few plates in a cupboard.

"Making the cat listen to your commands."

"I already told you, my chakra." She took his hand and held it to her own. "Synchronize your chakra with mine, and tell him to do something, keep it simple though."

Neji contemplated telling the kitten to go visit the crazy cat lady seven houses down, but restrained himself. Matching his chakra to Tenten's, he thought of a command. "Bring me your toy."

Tenten smirked when very promptly the cat returned with the toy Neji had thrown earlier and plopped it down by his feet. "See what happens when you have days in bed alone with nothing to do?"

"That doesn't explain how he knows what I'm saying." He was sure that the cat had been taught through repetition and certain chakra flares to follow a select few commands. "It's not smart enough to understand us."

"Sure he is. All the chakra does is focus the animal's attention, the same way it does a dog or a horse."

"But it shouldn't know what I'm saying." Neji argued. He focused his chakra again. "If I tell it to," he paused, "if I tell it to bring me the third scroll on the bottom shelf of the dining room, it won't understand what I'm saying."

"Do it." She smiled confidently.

He sighed, concentrating his chakra. "Ryuu, bring me the third scroll on the bottom shelf of the dining room." he repeated, fully expecting the cat to bring another of its toys.

Tenten however glanced over her shoulder and chuckled when the cat dashed promptly to the exact scroll and started trying to tug it loose from the shelf. "I was thinking of having him help me clean this way actually." She tried to conceal her quiet laughter when the cat meowed and finally got the scroll and pawed and nudged it back to Neji.

"You have got to be kidding me." Neji muttered, bending down to lift the scroll. "And now, not only can the cat understand me, but it can count as well?"

She laughed at his reaction and lightly pat his shoulder. "Animals are smart Neji, admitting that is the first step to acceptance that they can do simple things."

"Counting should not be simple for a cat." He frowned, placing the scroll on the table.

"It doesn't matter much does it? The cat will listen to you now." She continued to smile at the situation. "At least now you know he won't set the house on fire..."

He shook his head. There had to be some trick to this. Muttering to himself in his mind, he turned and returned the scroll to it rightful place. "He doesn't have thumbs. He couldn't set himself on fire unless he knocked something over."

"You're the one who was worried about it." While put the scroll away she was busy looking her hand over. "We should get those wards made soon."

He nodded. "Strengthen the ones you've already set in place. I'll increase the number we have around the perimeter of the house before adding more to the ones in the basement." He grabbed his jacket, and slipped out into the bitter cold.

While Neji worked outside, Ryuu pawed at a pair of empty scrolls while watching his female master make stronger versions of the wards already in the basement. Soon she was placing them over the former tags and began making additional ones to add. Certain that Neji was still outside she looked down at the cat and muttered a quiet confession. "He's driving me insane Ryuu. I haven't had a 'decent' dream in weeks." He was working quickly and wouldn't be much longer outside. The cat mewed with concern, though it didn't quite know what his master meant by decent. Why, she practically purred when she slept now. Maybe she wasn't getting enough sleep? That was it. The male owner wasn't letting her rest as much as she wanted to. He would have to rectify that, Ryuu's little kitty mind decided.

"I keep having these just...obscene dreams...and..." She ran a hand quickly through her hair and paused. He was done outside, she could tell. "Oh it doesn't matter, it's just so frustrating."

The kitten cried sympathetically. He got frustrated sometimes as well. Maybe his master needed to use his scratching post. Especially now, since finding all the socks he was hiding for her to hunt didn't seem to be doing its job.

"You didn't hear me say a thing ok?" She told the cat while placing one final tag. The cat couldn't speak, so her dirty little secret was safe temporarily. She didn't want Neji knowing about her crazy dreams. A smirk curved her lips while she sat down. It wasn't a crime to admit she liked her dreams, sexually frustrating though they were when she woke up.

Neji was brushing snow out of his hair as he walked down the stairs. "The outside should hide any stray blasts of chakra that manage to make it outside the first barrier." He sat down, taking the paper and ink to begin making his own tags.

"O-oh good. You took care of that fast." She watched him work while looking over her scrolls.

"The barriers we have are already good. I didn't need to do much more then strengthen them." The ones in the basement would need a bit of an upgrade he admitted.

"Yeah, these are designed to keep our chakra from being detected, not Haru's. So..." She looked around the basement, examining each wall. "I strengthened the main ones," she began opening one of her scrolls, "the ward on this scroll, should contain most of Haru's chakra if we add it to the ones that are already up."

Neji nodded, waiting for the ink to dry for his own wards. "Set it up, and we'll test it."

She placed the seals strategically around the room. "It's going to be a very unpleasant process, making the seals." She said after placing the last of his wards up with her own, "I don't think it will drain my strength like gathering the chakra did, but it could."

"We'll be careful. No one expects to see me until Monday. I'll be able to watch over you again if you need it."

"Yeah." She turned and sat across from him and opened her first scroll. "It's a lot of trial and error you know." She told him, looking up from the scroll.

"I'm well aware." Neji said placing his wards on the walls, checking and double checking everything. "Put the cat upstairs."

Tenten gave Neji a strange look before replacing it with a smile and heading up the stairs, calling the cat after her. When he was upstairs she told him to play with his toys and behave, or to sleep, before slipping into the basement and pulling the door shut.

"We don't need it getting in the way, or having traces of Haru's chakra clinging to it and giving away our identity." Neji defended himself.

"I didn't say anything." She answered his defense quietly, still smiling at his suggestion to keep the cat upstairs.

"You were smirking at me. That said enough." Neji secured the last tag in place."We're ready to begin."

"Smiling and smirking are two different things." She placed out a single blank tag on the floor next to the scroll and looked back and forth between the two.

"Your smile was far too pleased. You were smirking." He answered, returning to her side and taking a seat next to her.

"I thought it was sweet that you were concerned about the cat, that's all." Just looking at the scroll sealing Haru's chakra made her nervous.

"I was concerned that it would compromise our position. Do not read so heavily into things." Neji took out the notes they had made and read through the long pages of ifs, ands, or buts regarding Haru's chakra.

"Whatever you say, Neji." She shifted to lay on her side while looking over the scrolls. It was rather cute, no matter how he tried to spin it, that he wanted the cat to stay upstairs, because it all looked like he was concerned about the cat. Even when he explained otherwise, his voice wasn't as convincing as it should have been. Her hand brushed over the three seals inscribed on the scroll, stopping at the last. It had the least amount of chakra bound to it, so that was where she would start when they were both ready.

Neji on the other hand was mentally reasoning that he wasn't concerned about the cat at all, merely worried that it would compromise the mission. He had no idea why Tenten was so focused on him liking the annoying fuzz ball. "I'm ready whenever you are Tenten. Just give the word." He steadied his chakra, waiting for her to start the process.

"This seal has the least, so I'll start here. Just remember, it's gonna get nasty down here." She held out a prepared seal for him. "You know basic chakra sealing jutsus right?

He nodded, taking the paper tag marked only with a crude seal. "I do. How exactly do you plan to go about doing this?"

"I'm going to release some of the chakra from this seal," she told him, then she explained that he would need to seal what was released in the very basic tag she had handed him, "so you see, what I'll do is modify the tag to not only contain, but to release the chakra in a steady stream, rather than a strong burst. It should mimic proper chakra flow. We have to work out the kinks to this before we make the real tags, so I won't release a lot of chakra for you to bind."

It was a simple process. Much more simple than Neji first thought it would be, but realistically, Tenten was a master of making things that seemed overly complicated very simple. "If it works on the test run, do you plan on making the final tags the same way, or modifying them for the higher power levels?" He placed the tag on the ground before him, hands poised for the signs.

"The real ones are going to be a lot stronger, they'll be a lot harder to make. The amount of chakra they'll be holding is harder to contain than what we're doing now. These scrolls can handle it, but a tag is going to need a seriously complex spell to hold back what we'll be requiring." She lifted her gaze to him for a second, he was ready, so she forced her chakra into the seal forcing it to release Haru's. Even the slightest bit she released still made her lightheaded, but at least that was all it did. She watched Neji's hands work through the seals and removed her own hands from the scroll. Her eyes were temporarily mesmerized by the motion of his hands. _You know Tenten, now is a really bad time to be entertaining all those crazy fantasies about his hands. _

Neji was too busy with the seals, the binding of the chakra that leaked out, to pay any attention to Tenten staring at his seals. He tried to bind it as fully and as quickly as possible so as to keep Tenten from suffering the chakra too much. Even now her breath was hitching and her jaw trembled a moment before she steadied it. Despite her grown resistance to Haru's chakra, it still was taking its toll on her.

When the chakra did dissipate she let out a soft sigh of relief. "Well that wasn't too bad." She said lightly, still lying on her side. She had been expecting more than a light dizzy spell. The amount she had released was perfectly contained in the tag, and they could begin to alter the enchantment on the tag as they saw fit.

"Will you be able to handle a larger amount?" He asked seeing her take a few deep breathes. It had gone off without any hitches. This plan looked like it was going to work without any complications.

"Yeah, let's not stress it tonight though. Let's see what we can and can't do with that tag hm?" She smiled and held up a brush and ink. "Despite the hazards to my health, this was a pretty good idea you know."

"Yes. Your sensitivity to the project is the only thing that made me hesitant." He took the tag and stood. He looked over the seal, tested it with his chakra, to make sure that there were no leaks or weak areas on the seal.

She tilted her head to the side, he had already indicated that he was concerned for her while they were gathering the chakra, and he indicated he would do it, if she could not. Hearing him say directly that her sensitivity to Haru's chakra made him hesitant... "You didn't have to worry, I got through it."

"I know, but the process wasn't pleasant. I wish to avoid it if possible." He didn't bother arguing about not being worried. He had stopped pretending that he didn't care months prior.

"So..." She forced herself up into a sitting position and crossed her arms. "Ok, the seal is strong enough for this, obviously we'll need to make it stronger on a stronger tag. We need to add the enchantment to release chakra, and the desired method."

"How much chakra are you planning to put into each tag?" The more chakra, the more dangerous the tags became. If it became too great a risk, it would make more sense to make several smaller tags than a few large ones.

"A good bit, not enough to make the tags unstable, none that last an obscene amount of time either, we just need them to last long enough, we'll probably get a few strong ones out of it, and a lot more commonly used weaker ones." She handed him the ink and brush and told him to alter the enchantment to release chakra slowly and steadily when the seal was released. "You know best what normal chakra flow looks like, natural chakra flow, so we'll alter the enchantment until the chakra released looks, and feels natural." Easier said than done; an hour later they were still altering the seal and it still wasn't how it needed to be.

It took a few attempts. It had been easy enough to make Haru's chakra flow naturally, but it didn't feel right. Each person's chakra flow was as unique as their personality. He didn't have much exposure to Haru's chakra, and with the exposure he did get, he didn't dare use his byakugan to observe him. "This isn't flowing correctly."Neji set the seal down and held in a frustrated sigh.

"Yeah." She mumbled rubbing her head. "It just feels wrong. Smooth, perfect natural flow, but it doesn't feel right." She pointed out that was probably because they'd both been exposed to him at his worst, more often than him naturally. "Ok, Haru has hard time controlling his chakra..." She grabbed the seal and smudged slightly at the main seal that restricted the flow of chakra. "There, it's enough to hold back the chakra and make it undetectable, but weak enough that maybe, it will feel right."

He winced mentally at the smudging of his perfect seal. Taking the seal from Tenten's hands, he tried it. "Much more believable." He nodded, examining the seal's imperfection. "We'll have to modify it even more for spikes, to make it seem more authentic." Haru's mood was clearly detectable by small shifts of his chakra, so if they altered the seals to mimic small spikes, it could benefit them in the manner they wished it to. At least, Neji mused, it was probable.

"It'll be a risk to weaken the seals on stronger tags, you know, more of a chakra leak threat." She smiled though. "But at least, we got the weak practice seal to work a bit." It was at the very least, very encouraging.

"No, we wouldn't want to weaken the strongest seals, however we can modify the seal to make it more erratic, to mimic his moods." He placed the tag back down, turning to Tenten. "This is working better than I expected. We'll be able to have working tags within a month."

"Security was increased the last time I was there, I couldn't go in as far as I wanted to, as far as I have been able to." She looked up at him seriously. "It's going to get worse, even if we get working tags, things are just going to get more complicated here."

"But we'll be able to get past the sensors. We can handle the other ninja, especially if we're working together rather than sending you on your own."

"We don't have any idea what's on the other side of those sensors, we don't know how much are traps and useless space, or how much more security there is." She was certain there was plenty more security, and plenty of useless space. One of the best ways to prevent intruders was to force them to spend time in useless, confusing space, while reinforcements gathered.

"We'll deal with that when we get to it." They were close and getting so much closer. There was no way that they were going to fail, not when they had gotten so much closer to their targets and goal.

Noting his expression Tenten sighed and rolled her eyes before allowing herself to fall over onto her side again. There was no point arguing with Neji on the rare occasion he decided to be optimistic. Deciding to deal with things as they came, was a sign he was in a better than average mood.

"Are you feeling up to trying another one for the night?" He didn't want to push her limits. Even if it had gone better than planned, it was clear the chakra still had a negative effect on Tenten.

"Why not?" She shrugged. Neji worked faster than Sasuke did with things like this, and that was all that mattered.

"We'll do one at 45% more strength." He told her after grabbing a new tag and beginning to write the seals it. He made the needed adjustments for the larger chakra amount and slight changes in the flow of chakra. "There, that should be enough." He determined after a quick look over the seal.

"You want me to smudge it so you don't flaw perfection?" She teased with a small smirk tugging at her lips.

"There's no need to smudge it. I made the proper modifications in the seal."Neji was not going to let her tease him about his slight perfectionist tendencies. It's what made him as great at his seal work as it did.

"We'll see." She sat up again and placed her hands over her seal on her scroll. "We got plenty of extra chakra left, so a bit more this time, ready?" She looked up at him, waiting for him to prepare. She'd have a headache without a doubt, but she could live with a headache, and headaches were far easier to remedy than losing consciousness or severe chakra poisoning was.

"I'm ready. Cut the flow if you feel faint. Losing concentration at this point could result in the seal exploding and releasing Haru's chakra." The wards would keep the flash from being detected, but Tenten would be in agony from the exposure.

"Yeah, I got it." Her hands rested over the seal and released it. Haru's chakra quickly filled the room and she pulled her hands away. It was exactly how much Neji had asked her to release, no more, no less. "It could be worse." She nodded. "I could be curled up in a little vent..." She lay back on the floor and waited. She told herself again and again that a headache was a small price to pay.

He nodded, binding the chakra in the tag. "I think this went successfully though." There were no leaks, no points stressed or weakened, and he didn't even have to smudge the ink. Placing the seal safely away, he helped Tenten to her feet. "Come on, I think you've done enough for the night."

"Yeah, it's a lot less stressful with your help. It doesn't use up as much of my energy with your help." She straightened her clothes and gave him a smile. "You know, less headaches, less aches and pains..."

"Good." After making sure Tenten made it up the stairs, Neji carefully caught the kitten when it tried to run down the stairs. "No. You will stay out of there." He used the chakra command that Tenten had taught him to emphasize his point.

The cat stopped trying to squirm past Neji and instead rubbed against his leg and snuck down the hall to the bedroom. "Still think he can't understand you?" Tenten asked curiously, watching the cat hop up onto the bed and curl up on her pillow.

"Even an animal can understand the word no, Tenten." He grabbed her a few pain pills and a cup of tea, placing them on the bedside table.

"When has he ever listened to you prior to this, hm?" She sat on the bed and pet the purring cat on her pillow before taking the medicine he brought her.

"When I yelled at him." It didn't make him proud to admit he yelled at the cat, but the feline responded to little else.

"And now you don't have to yell at him." She pointed out before tossing her extra scrolls in her bag and sliding them out of sight.

"I will admit it makes him listen better." Neji answered while changing into his night clothes.

Tenten glanced over her shoulder for a few seconds when he started changing and bit her tongue. How could anyone blame her? She quickly looked away before her mind grew too entertained and he noticed. She grabbed her nightclothes and tugged hers clothing off. "A lot better you mean?"

"Faster."Neji clarified, climbing into bed and curling on his side.

Tenten dropped her shirt. "Huh?" She glanced over her shoulder again. The mind processed things oddly sometimes, especially when one was inadvertently thinking about their partner naked.

"He listens faster than he does without it." Neji repeated, as he stretched and pushed the cat off his chest before he got the opportunity to curl up.

"Oh yeah..." She tugged on her shirt and pajama pants and stared at the wall before untying her hair. "Of course he does, he's more focused."

"I will believe that." He sighed, allowing his eyes to drift closed. It had been a long day and the sealing had tired him a bit more then he was willing to admit.

"Worn out?" She asked before sliding under the blankets herself.

"A bit tired. The children are trying, as were the seals."

She snuggled closer to him and rested her head against his shoulder. "I still think it's funny, that you have a pair who would rather write twenty page papers than deal with their classmates." She smirked and said quietly, that they sounded exactly like a younger Neji.

"Next time I end up pairing them pair off, I'm going to pair each of them with lower level students, and do something that requires thinking outside the textbook."

"You'll torture them." She paused and propped herself up on her elbow. "How much like us are they?" She recalled him mentioning the pair before, and that they were very much like them, but he had never explained how much or what made him or others see a similarity.

"The way they interact; not so much the way we were in school as when we became genin. They work together, read each other well, and prefer each other's company to any of the other students. Just little things…"

"Little things?" She asked trying to read his expression. The early winter winds howled outside causing her to shiver involuntarily.

"Just the way they act with each other; their personalities. It's just little things that remind me of us."

"Chakra?" Only faint surprise registered in his eyes that she'd have made that guess, but there were few 'little things' that could be listed, chakra interaction being one of them. "Good guess on my part I take it?" She asked before her head returned to its place against his shoulder.

He nodded. "Nothing extreme or complicated. They're still pre-genin. However there's definite brushes and mingling of chakra. They'll even comfort and soothe each other with their own chakra when one's hurt or annoyed."

"Really..." She bit her tongue at the urge to say they sounded less like them, and more like boyfriend and girlfriend. Then again, didn't the majority of Konoha think that she and Neji were a pair? "Yeah that's...interesting."

"Interesting? Why is that interesting?"

"Well..." She started slowly, debating how to say it without it coming out wrong. "Chakra interaction like that happens naturally over the years with eh...couples that are uh...romantically involved normally. Most people would say it was odd for it to just be naturally present. That's why everyone thinks we're a couple, besides the fact that we just get along."

"It can also be siblings or close friends. It signifies a deep bond and understanding. It's not my fault the rest of the world sees it as something only lovers do."

"It's not that they see it that way, it's that it's really far more common among...well..." She thought as much as she could, and only one word came to mind,"…lovers."

He shrugged. "They can see it as an action between lovers, it often is. It is not always the case though, people who are simply close to each other, and have a deep understanding for the other person for example, has nothing to do with sexual relations. After all, we share such a bond without physically being lovers."

Tenten didn't answer but nodded slightly. No words came to her mind, and her mind was wandering in so many different directions at once, perhaps a few too many directions. She found herself unable to think clearly whenever reminded that they were in fact merely friends, there was nothing more there.

Neji let out a breath and wrapped an arm around Tenten's body, letting his chakra wash over her to soothe over the light chakra poisoning she had again received. He berated himself slightly. Despite his attempts not to, with his last words he had insinuated that his relationship with Tenten was as that of lovers without the physical aspect. Fortunately, she had not noticed the slip of the tongue and thought he had only referred to them as friends.

Tenten jumped slightly when Ryuu meowed loudly in his sleep, her thoughts remained scattered; too scattered as far as she was concerned. One had to be not thinking clearly to be startled by a cat meowing in their sleep. "I think...I spaced out, because he startled me." She mumbled something about the fact that a ninja shouldn't be startled by a cat, a ninja should always be aware of their surroundings..."Ugh this mission is turning me into a civilian..."

"Hardly." He pat her shoulder comfortingly. "If your skills were waning, you would have been discovered a long time ago." He lightly poked the cat, trying to shoo it out of their bed and onto his own cushion on the floor. He had conceded long ago and decided that the best way to keep the cat off his pillow was to give the small animal its own pillow.

"I'm starting to feel less like a ninja and more like a girl." She mumbled.

"You are a girl Tenten." Neji reminded her. "You are however, also a ninja. That's what kounichi are by definition."

"I'm thinking too much like a civilian girl. It's not...me." She mumbled.

"Give it some time. You'll be back to your normal self once this mission is over." He yawned and closed his eyes, muttering his typical 'good night Tenten' before taking the deep breath he usually did before falling asleep.

At least, she mused, he was sure that she'd get back to normal. "Good night, Neji." She said quitely before biting her lip. Getting back to 'normal' was just impossible. She ignored the various thoughts running through her mind, wrapped her arms around him, and snuggled closer.

* * *

Tenten sighed on the couch. Cleaning the entire house took so little time that a day often became boring. Even with personal alone time, and time spent socializing minimally with the other women, Tenten found herself counting down the hours till Neji got back. "You know, he hasn't driven me entirely crazy yet, but one of these days..." She mumbled to the cat on the couch before her gaze turned to the door. Someone was approaching the house, one of the tags had responded to chakra growing closer and then...Ryuu woke completely from his half nap at the sharp knock on the door. "Coming..." Tenten called, grumbling to herself. It was only a matter of time before someone showed up again. She cracked open the door and held back a frustrated groan. "Is there...something I can help you with?" She asked as pleasantly as possible to the man standing outside in the snow.

"Hi she-harpy. Just some questions for you and lover boy. routine procedure, I'm sure you know about the recent string of murders." Nobaru looked tired and cranky as he stood in the doorway.

"Tsubasa is at work, and you know it. He won't be home for at least another twenty minutes." She grumbled. "Kind of hard to not hear about the murders, the village women will talk about anything once everyone's bedroom story of the week gets dull to relive." Tenten added sarcastically, though it was somewhat true. Once the women got bored talking about their sex lives they moved on to more important matters. There were murders, some were fearful for their husbands, some were concerned about their children, living in a major shinobi village...how could they have not expected such a thing to eventually occur?

"Standard procedure." Nobaru repeated, rolling his eyes. "I've been going around time, as have several of my team members. You can ask anyone if you like, or call the security office if you don't believe me." He drawled out, rolling his eyes. "So if i could come in Mrs Taikumura?" He asked with the most sarcastic courtesy he could muster.

"I've got enough reasons to say no." She mumbled before opening the door further and allowing him to step inside. Ryuu hissed lightly at the stranger that entered his home before his female owner lightly shook her head at him. "None of that Ryuu," she told the cat while throwing a glance at Nobaru. "don't mind him, it took him months to warm up to Tsubasa. I'll answer any questions I can, I doubt I could be much help though." She returned to the living room and gestured to one of the seats. "Make yourself...comfortable, Tsubasa will be home shortly I'm sure you'd want to speak to him too."

"I have questions for both of you Amaya." Nobaru did more than make himself comfortable as he sat on the couch, reaching down to pat the kitten. Cats usually liked him. This one didn't however. "Bitch pussy." He muttered at the hissing cat, taking out the scroll with the questions. "Notice anything unusual lately Amaya?"

"Besides the dead ninja I keep hearing about? The entire village being on edge? I mean unless you call that normal..." She pet Ryuu when he moved closer to her. "One of the women mentioned some jounin acting strange, she said it was probably just stress, I don't remember the man's name. Eiko told us about it, she might remember his name."

"Hmm." He quickly made the note in the scroll. "One of the other house wives reported that as well. Any noticable changes in chakra structures or just something that didn't seem right to you? You did go through some ninja training, so you might have noticed something useful." Nobaru yawned openly while looking at her.

"I didn't notice all that much, just that..." She paused and thought for a few minutes. The more she thought about it, the more a lot of people had been acting very strange. "A week ago, a few...chuunin maybe, were saying they were sure they saw the person. I brushed it off as them trying to sound tough and...well you know." She shrugged in fact, she was certain they were just talking tough. "I wonder if they were saying it to be tough or to lead people looking for information astray...I told Tsubasa about it, he thinks they were just trying to sound tough to their team."

He nodded, jotting it all down. He paused a moment, sensing something that was a touch off. "Tsubasa's been upping house security?" There was a strange feeling of excess chakra in the house, and a binding that was similar in the creation of tags in the air.

"He's been worried about me being home alone most of the day with all that's been going on, we've also had a few of his students follow him home..." She nodded to the windows. "There's a few tags outside to detect badly concealed chakra, as well as a few more advanced ones I think to detect well concealed chakra. Some for students, some for intruders he said..." She pulled out a tag of her own creation from under the table and showed it to Nobaru. "I'm no good at detecting chakra, but I can feel it from this tag when someone gets near the house. Usually the cat notices it first though." She admitted with an embarrassed smile.

"So you did learn something from your schooling." It made sense that she could do that much. He sensed something else though, something a bit different than the house tags. He shook his head; he was tired and exhausted. It wouldn't surprise him if he was imagining things for once. If they really were hiding something, he would be able to better notice it.

"Tsubasa tries to keep the basics refreshed with me. I'm grateful too, the love letters from his students..." She laughed. "Well his female students scare me a bit, I think they have it in for me."

Nobaru snorted, making a note. "I doubt you have anything to fear from the infantile she-harpies in training." He continued to scribble in the scroll. "Anything else you might have noticed? Pretty boy been secretive or missing at night?"

"Tsubasa?" She quirked a brow and shook her head slightly. "Gosh no, I practically cling to him at night, I'd know if he was gone." She rubbed her forehead slightly and bit her lip only slightly. She just wanted him to leave, but she was sure her frustrated gestures came across more concerned. "Some of the women mentioned there were break-ins in homes near them, we've all be concerned it might be us next, Tsubasa feels bad enough leaving me here alone in the day, it's really bad isn't it? He really doesn't get worried about things, and he's been worried lately, always telling me to be careful if I go out, insisting I go with Karou or one of the other women if I do go anywhere..."

"Strange he would worry about you so much." it was a bit odd. "I've already had the break ins investigated. It's the work of a few low level genin; which has already been dealt with... two days ago I believe. Not only that, but from what I can feel of Pretty boy's home security system here, it's more then capable of handling a couple of hoodlums. And civilians aren't being targeted unless they are in areas unauthorized to the public. Seems a bit paranoid to me."

"He's been making sure the students all get home safe before he returns, I think it's just his protective nature." She shrugged. "I don't think I'm in any danger, I mean, there've been jounin everywhere lately. I'm sure if anyone was in danger, they'd help."

"It's the protective nature part that I'm finding hard to swallow; and trust me, I'd swallow just about anything that had to do with Tsubasa." Nobaru smirked a moment. "I'll be blunt Amaya. Even if I believed you were a civilian with a few good moves in the ninja world; he seems to have more trust and respect for you than that. You're an annoyance, but aren't stupid. He knows well enough that you wouldn't do anything stupid." so he may have been a bit frustrated and pressing into tender areas. What he had said was true. Amaya wasn't stupid and Tsubasa had a deep trust in her. He shouldn't be so overly paranoid.

"Have you ever really been in love with someone? You can't help worrying about them, I know he can take care of himself, he's smart, he's strong, blind or not he can hold his own." Tenten brushed her hand over the cat's head and scratched his ears lightly. "That never stops me from worrying about him." She tried not to roll her eyes as her memories of Neji's more overprotective moments drifted around in her mind. "Trust me, when he gets worried over stupid little things, he acts like it's the end of the world. If I got a cold he'd probably act like I'm dying. He doesn't even let me get out of bed for water when I'm sick, he gets it for me." Not that she was complaining...

"And you have been quite sick recently, haven't you Amaya? The school's reported Tsubasa misisng work to stay home with you several times; a few days landing right after a few questionable dates." dates of murders, or known break-ins. Of course, those were happening every few days now; so it could easily be coincidence. "He's gotten the bare minimum of required shots to be an acting jounin; but you haven't gotten a single immunization. I would think that for you being so sick, you would more than gladly allow yourself to sustain a few needle pricks in comparison to days laying sick and pained in a bed."

"He's been trying to convince me to get them." Tenten crossed her arms and sighed slightly. "I was pretty sick last time, a lot of his students got sick around the same time, he probably brought something home and I caught it." She argued that she was hoping to tough out the illnesses as much as possible, but with the severity of her last 'cold' she would consider the immunizations. "I don't like being practically crippled in bed from coughing and struggling to breathe, I admit it's a lot worse than I thought it would be. We had some bad ones in Konoha, but nothing quite like that." Her eyes shifted to the door when it creaked a bit. "Tsubasa," She called while leaning sideways on the couch to attempt to see Neji, "Nobaru is here, he wanted to ask us both some questions." She was sure he had felt the chakra before arriving, but it never hurt to be certain.

"I know Amaya, he's hard to miss." Neji kicked off his ninja sandals, a bit of exhaustion evident from his actions. He had spent the entire day out running students in a ninja version of seek and destroy. "I'm not in the mood for pleasantries Nobaru. What are you doing here?" There was one advantage to Nobaru thinking his wife was a ninja. He could be as rude as he liked to the other without suspicion.

"Questioning the natives pretty boy. Standard procedure. You can check. I've already hit up about a dozen other houses in your neighborhood." Nobaru leaned back on the couch like he was a welcome guest. "If you're not in the mood to bullshit, I can come back for a more private questioning session." Nobaru only flirted out of habit now. He was less likely to actually make a move on Tsubasa, fine ass aside, when he was harboring a spy.

Tenten shifted her gaze from Nobaru to Neji. Half of her wanted to smack Nobaru upside the head. The other half of her just wanted to ignore him, and shove Neji against a wall and... "I'm gonna go make some tea..." She said quietly before sneaking off the kitchen. It wasn't her fault that his hair was slightly damp from snow and looked good that way dammit!

"Your guard dog's a little overprotective of you Tsubasa." Nobaru pulled out the scroll and went over the list. He still had half a dozen houses to hit up for questioning before he had to return to the usual stomping grounds. "How's the schoolwork going for you?" He asked boredly, while scribbling a few notes down.

"As expected." Neji answered shortly, sitting on the couch. He pat the kitten when it climbed into his lap, sighing with exasperation. _Stupid animal_.

"Not in the talking mood are you?" Nobaru noted.

"One tends not to be too sociable with someone they abhor after dealing with pre-genin students all day." Neji said, picking up the kitten and dropping him on the floor.

Ryuu again hopped up onto the couch and crawled into Neji's lap. Someone had to keep an eye on him while his better half was out of the room. Purring loudly, Ryuu curled into a ball and closed his eyes, whiskers twitching slightly until he was in the most comfortable position. If the loud obnoxious one woke him up, he would pounce and bite.

"Fair enough. Must be a pain with the flock of mini harpies and ninja wanna-bes harassing you all day. We'll keep it short enough. Seen- well, felt or experienced anything suspicious lately? Unusual spikes of unfamiliar chakra that made you take a second look, so to speak?" With Tsubasa blind, it made his input different then others; but it gave him something else valuable. Tsubasa would be much more likely to notice strange changes in chakra or an unusual mood in the air that would make a ninja look twice.

"Nothing unusual. I'm afraid that I haven't had a chance to learn about the other ninja in the area to tell you if one was unfamiliar to the area. Everyone's been acting in various states of paranoia and unrest; as is expected for the time being." Neji answered, thinking about it himself. Unfortunately, or rather perhaps, very fortunately, he didn't know that much about the nin in the area to be notice anything helpful.

"Uh-huh." Nobaru continued to scribble. "Notice anything different about the she-harpy?"

"For the last time you assuming bastard, Amaya is not a spy!" Neji snapped,getting to his feet and ready to play the part of the overprotective husband Ryuu hissed indignantly when he fell to the floor. He pawed at Neji's foot and scampered off to the kitchen for comfort.

Nobaru snorted. "Seems pussy seems to disagree with you in general." Nobaru chuckled, not reacting to Tsubasa's angry shout. "I'm asking questions about the she-harpy that have nothing to do with my thoughts of her being a ninja. She has been very ill for the past month or so and is still refusing immunizations. It's a suspicious point. It's my duty to question. She also admitted to being home by herself for most of the day. It wouldn't be a stretch to imagine she'd be able to hide a few things from you."

"Yeah, how much laundry I do, and how I finally managed to cook one thing without burning it." Tenten mumbled returning with tea. "Oh or, how fast I clean the kitchen...or fold the laundry."

"Or break into unauthorized areas, kill a few people, or clean the litter box. Standard procedure, have to question everything." Nobaru drank the tea and nibbled the cookies, the first solid thing he'd eaten all day. "I asked the Hanamori's down the street what grandma did alone all day in the house, I'm going to ask you too."

"After I clean the house and do the laundry, I touch myself while thinking about my husband, take a shower, and divulge my sex life to the women here who clearly don't have their own. Satisfied?" Tenten answered sarcastically while Ryuu curled up on her lap instead, certain that she at least would remain seated.

Nobaru coughed and put the cookies down. There went his appetite. "Thank you so much for those disgusting mental images."Nobaru shook his head a few times in a desperate attempt to get the mental images out of his head. "Gross. I get it, I'm leaving. I'll send someone else if more question are needed, because that was fucking nasty." Of all the things the woman could have said, that was the last thing his overworked mind needed.

Tenten bit back her satisfied smirk. One problem eliminated and only slight embarrassment to suffer for it. "You sure? I mean, you did want to know what I did here alone all day."

He rolled his eyes. "A low blow. I'll give you credit for that one harpy. Rest assured that mental image will haunt the little sleep I get."

"Well if we notice anything we'll let you know." She was almost struggling to not allow the light flicker of amusement show too strongly in her eyes or allow it to be heard in her voice. "I do hope the neighbors are able to help you more than we were."

He snorted, shutting the scroll and leaving the house, once again feeling that strange flicker of chakra. Frowning, he made a note of it in the scroll. It was probably just exhaustion playing tricks on him, but if he had noticed it twice... His instincts were never wrong about anything.

After Nobaru had distanced himself greatly from the house, Tenten released her held in laughter into her cup. The cat had fallen asleep beside her and Neji hadn't said a word since her comment. "You ok?" She asked glancing at him out of the corner of her eye. His face was slightly flushed, and he shook his head in disbelief.

"I can't believe you said that to him." Mirth teased the corners of his mouth.

She shrugged through her light laughter and took note of the faintest traces of a smirk or maybe even a smile from him. "Not like I had anything to lose saying it. I mean, hey at least it worked. He is gone."

"I actually regret that I wasn't able to see his face when you said that." Neji chuckled. "I wish I had known it would get rid of him earlier. I might have made something up to make him leave."

"Well," Tenten said lightly while lifting the bandages away from his eyes, "I can tell you one thing for certain about his expression- It was just priceless." Her eyes fell shut and a devious smile replaced her previous one. "I don't think I've ever said anything like that to anyone in my life," her eyes snapped open and met his, "it was totally worth it." She added that she was just happy she was able to say it with a straight face and that she had been able to sound convincing. Neji chuckled quietly and his hands reached up to hold Tenten's before gently taking the bandages from her. His fingers brushed lightly over her hands as he did so.

"I do regret missing it." He said while placing the bandages on the table near the cookies. "Have you taken up baking now too? These aren't even burnt."

"Oh no, I'm not testing my luck." She admitted that Karou had brought them over earlier, thinking they would help with the cold. She was certain too that even as she explained things calmly, her hands were shaking slightly and her heart was pounding, and what from? The lightest of touches? "Her cookies are safe to eat, mine still aren't."

"Does she think you're ill?" He placed the cookies in the pantry with the others, beginning to make dinner. He threw the cookies that Nobaru had bitten into the trash

"No, she just thinks it helps deal with the cold weather, said her mother used to make them for her." She stared at her hands for a few minutes before snapping out of her light daze. Looking back on the few minutes that had passed her cheeks turned slightly red. "I-I can't believe I really said what I said to Nobaru." She stuttered as embarrassment set in. Nobaru had heard truth, Neji had only heard what he assumed to be a well played bluff.

"It worked well." Neji pointed out, starting to slice meat and veggies for an easy stir fry. "It looks like all your lunches with the lonely house wives did have something positive come from it

"What do you mean?" She asked getting up slowly, carefully shifting Ryuu so he would remain a sleeping ball of fuzz while she retreated to the kitchen.

"Isn't that where you came up with the masturbation story?" he asked, looking over his shoulder. "Or was it horrible daytime television

She shrugged nervously and fidgeted slightly when he looked over his shoulder at her. "I just kind of blurted it out. A few seconds later I realized what I had said and saw his reaction and realized it worked well."

"You came up with that on your own?" that surprised him. He thought that Tenten didn't have thoughts like that

"I had a creative moment? It sounded like something that would freak him out." She said quickly in defense of herself. The surprise and curiosity in his eyes made her very nervous.

"It worked." Neji said starting to fry their evening meal. "Will you set the table? Dinner will be ready soon."

"Yeah." She hurried and grabbed everything she'd need, their tea, their plates, some chopsticks, and for the love of all things, why was he reacting so well to her very bold statement that had sent Nobaru packing? Normally he'd at least be embarrassed, or...something. He had handled it much better than she imagined, almost as though he were totally oblivious_. He is oblivious_. She set the table and sighed.

Neji was far from oblivious; he was also far from embarrassed. The thought of Tenten touching herself was far from an unpleasant one. Though, she seemed a bit too preoccupied with her enjoyment of messing with Nobaru to notice his slight blush from the statement.

She poured them each tea at roughly the same time he finished cooking and she rolled her eyes and laughed lightly. It was still a bit funny, even after years of it being the norm, to work in such perfect sync.

"We're getting too used to each other." Neji noted, carrying the plate of stir fry into the room. He set one at Tenten's side, the other on his own. "In the kitchen fur ball, I filled your bowl."

"How do you get 'too' used to someone anyway?" She asked watching the cat trot off into the kitchen to eat.

"Look at us; we're in synch with each other's daily habits without trying or realizing." Neji answered, drinking his tea.

"It was weirder when we were teenagers. I could always tell when you were having a hard time sleeping. There were some nights I'd be at home and just tossed and turned all night and just sort of knew you weren't getting much sleep either." She referenced the exact time he woke up each morning and pointed out that after a month of training with him, she had started to wake at the same time.

"You picked up on my anxiety through the day and took it as your own." He explained, eating his dinner. "You started to adjust your life to my schedule without realizing it, and I did the same to yours." He usually only ate two meals a day unless prompted otherwise, Tenten had gotten him into the habit of eating three times a day, and occasionally having a small snack here and there.

"I actually meditate," She admitted while eating, "twice a day." She confessed after a few minutes.

"You used to hate it." Neji had argued with her about why one needed to meditate more than was barely necessary when they were younger. Tenten preferred moving to sitting still and focusing.

"It's helped a lot over the years." She smiled. "You sharpen your weapons more frequently than you used to." She smirked, he had picked up that habit from helping her clean up her weapons after training.

"Only because you berated me for the state of my own weapons..." Neji rolled his eyes. It wasn't a habit. It just became something he did to avoid her nagging.

"You sharpened half of mine too though." She smiled while sipping her tea.

He didn't answer to that. If he was sharpening blades, he didn't have to clean the litter box. He knew what he was doing.

She watched his eyes for any shifts, any changes and smiled slightly. He was clever to do most of the things he did, but she was certain he sharpened her weapons to get out of something. She wouldn't call him out on it, or ask exactly what he was trying to get out of by doing her the favor. "Thanks, it saves a lot of time with your help."

"It's not a problem." He smiled, eating his dinner peacefully. She would not figure this out.

She smirked slightly and drank her tea; he'd get away with whatever he was avoiding, for a while anyway. "I still think Nobaru is a wee bit suspicious of me."

"He's been suspicious of both of us since the beginning Tenten. The only reason he's not actively pursuing me is because he thinks I'm too attractive to be the enemy." He answered calmly.

"Ironic isn't it, too attractive and the enemy?" She commented while eating the last of her food and smirking at the light purr from beside her chair. The kitten was sitting next to Tenten, chewing on a piece of chicken that had not come from Tenten's plate. It looked up at her a mewled happily before devouring the human food. "Neji...did you give him some of our food?" She glanced at Neji out of the corner of her eye, a bit of disbelief in her features.

"It fell on the floor, so I put it in its dish." He wasn't going to waste it, but he wasn't going to feed it to Tenten either.

"Well, he likes it." She reached down and scratched Ryuu's back lightly. "He sensed something Neji. Nobaru did...I just have a feeling."

"He has no proof Tenten. We'll deny everything; they don't have enough evidence about anything to search us."

"I'm going to make more wards just in case."

"I'll strengthen the ones we have now as well." Neji finished his meal and cleared the table, Tenten followed with her dishes, which they did quickly.

"I think it can wait till tomorrow though." She said while putting away the last dish. "It's been an irritating afternoon." She folded up the towel she had used to dry the dishes and glanced at her partner.

"It could always have been worse." Neji reminded her as he dried his hands. "He could have noticed Haru's chakra. He's familiar with it."

"I think he did feel it." She told him, leaning lightly back against a counter. "Just the look in his eyes, I think he felt it. He probably is too worn out to think about it too much though." Nobaru did after all look like he hadn't slept in a few days.

He nodded. Nobaru was so used to Haru's chakra, that he would also have less sensitivity to it as long as it wasn't strong. "I've heard that he's taking most of the heat for the killings and is working harder to keep the higher ups happy."

"So he's over worked, and being held accountable for something that slipped by probably at least a few years ago?"

"Something like that, you know that council members and elders only bitch after things happen and turn a blind eye to past events or look for signs of future events."

"I imagine they're on his case for being so suspicious of us." It was good that the village was so concerned about who was a serious threat at the moment but losing that person would make it harder for them to work. "Neji, we need to try to keep Nobaru off course as long as possible. I gave him the same information the other house wives did, because I know it's all just rumors. There's about a hundred ninja in the village that fit the descriptions they gave and the information I gave Nobaru. The longer he's looking, the more time we have to work in peace."

Neji nodded picking up the cat's water bowl and filled it with fresh water. "I told him the gossip I've heard. I think you distracted him well enough with your words." He chuckled softly, remembering Nobaru's priceless reaction. In his mind, justice had been served and there was no doubt that Tenten had delivered it to Nobaru, for all his harassment, rather smoothly.

Tenten flushed slightly and looked away. "I was just being creative. It was worth a shot, I didn't think it would work though."

"At least we know what to say to him next time." Though Neji doubted he'd be creative enough to come up with anything quite as lewd. He didn't have the same daily talks with pervert6ed housewives as Tenten did, and clearly he wasn't quite as skilled at coming up with a lie that could send the man running on the spot.

"He's not going to ask you what you do all day, he knows." She mumbled crossing her arms over her chest. "I'm going to run out of clever ideas though." There were only so many things she could say with a straight face after all.

"You're a housewife Tenten. It's not like you're supposed to be living an excited, varied life." Neji pointed out. "Take up some hobby or something if you need more excuses."

She merely shot him an irritated look, daring him almost to suggest a single 'hobby' that would be remotely entertaining. "Why? My fake sex life is working fine for now, I'll just sit in bed all day and be as perverse as I can with my thoughts so I can turn them on Nobaru next time he pokes around."

He rolled his eyes. "Start reading bad romance novels or something then. If not, I don't know. Take up knitting or something."

"Knitting? I don't think so..." She'd take her chances with her imagination, and just not tell him. "The cat and I will just discuss the strategy at a later time."

"Tenten, I understand you have a new level of communication with the cat; but it can't talk."

"He doesn't need to, I just need someone to listen that won't turn red when I talk about certain things." She smirked.

He rolled his eyes. "Fine, have your dirty sexual fantasies with the cat, just as long as I don't have to witness it."

"You don't have to witness it." She bent down and picked up the cat. "I can't assure you I won't use you as inspiration." The cat pawed lightly at her bangs when she held him up.

"Have a mental affair." Neji turned his head, coughing. He didn't want to admit the thought of Tenten thinking about someone else bothered him.

"You ok?" She glanced past the cat at Neji's rather odd expression.

"Strange mental images that's all." Neji waved it off, going to change his clothes

"Strange how?" She headed to the living room and sat down with the cat. Tempting though it was to just follow him and watch she knew he'd never let her live it down. Ryuu climbed up her clothes and across her shoulders.

"A mental image of you sitting on the couch, reading bad porn stories to the cat out loud."

Tenten rolled her eyes and pat the cat lightly. She'd insist that they just rest for the night, and start working on the new seals and strengthening the wards in the basement the following day. She threw a quick glance out the windows and sighed. Seeing the snow, feeling the cold, remembering the storms and winds that they had started with reminded her each day that they had been away from home for nearly a full nine months.

The next day, as planned, Neji strengthened the wards, while she worked on creating the new seals. They discussed their days while they worked, he mentioned that his pair of overachieving students were still the only ones passing poisons and antidotes with flying colors, and she chuckled and added that the women were starting to demand proof that Tsubasa was an only child. "Guess I'm getting a bit too creative about our non-existent sex life." She said while carefully brushing the ink into place for the next seal. Making at least a good amount of weak seals for testing was vital, and she placed another on the completed stack. "Good to see that at least some of your kids know what they're doing. Let me guess, they're the only ones that don't have a crush on either you or me huh?"

"No, there are a few who are uninterested. They're the only ones who actually study and focus on their work, a pair of rivals." He said, making sure the wards in the room would withstand any blast of chakra.

She turned each seal over in the full stack of 'test' samples they had made. She examined each one to be sure each would release chakra as their individual seals dictated they should be. "Sounds more like you'll have to worry more about if they wind up with a crush on each other." She mumbled while fixing only the slightest of flaws on a seal in the middle of the stack.

"They're already blatantly involved, albeit in denial, they're too young for anything serious anyway." Neji said, picking up a cat toy that had been left behind and tossing it to the other side of the room. "I'm about to start using a henge to turn into an ugly old man if it makes the others focus more."

Tenten chuckled. Neji's brilliant overachieving pair of students had a thing for each other? Well, at least she mused, they were better off than she had been. "How'd they do on their twenty page papers?" She found another seal that needed fine tuning, but she was certain at least that nothing would escape the basement. Her eyes flickered around the room to each ward he had 'improved' ever so slightly. "God damn Neji, are you trying to turn this place into the ultimate containment unit?"

"I'm making sure that no amount of chakra can escape. I admit I may have been a bit overzealous in my pursuit, but I don't want to take any chances." He examined the room with an air of satisfaction. He would admit to being a bit anal, but that meant that he always got his job done.

"Well," she said while altering one last seal, "overzealous is putting it lightly, but it's a good thing you did go overboard with it." She held up the stack of roughly twenty seals, all bound with a set amount of chakra, all designed to release chakra in a certain way. "Now we have to test this against chakra detection."

Neji held up the first of his own chakra detectors. "I've made these to specifically pick up on your chakra. Start with one of the weaker seals. This is only a test run and I want to see how well Haru's chakra masks you, and how much the detector will pick up of yours while you're suppressing it."

Tenten nodded, took a deep breath and suppressed her chakra before holding out one of the seals they had made. She focused on it for a moment before placing it on the floor and forcing the seal to release Haru's chakra. It still made her feel lightheaded and made her hearing slightly fuzzy, but it passed more quickly than it used to. She lifted her gaze a few minutes later and waited for Neji to say something.

Neji was paying close attention to the seal, it was meant so that he could see how much of Tenten's chakra was being detected while he watched to see how much she was actually admitting. After several long moments, nodded and gestured for Tenten to stop. "The seal masks your chakra so that only 23% of what you are actually giving off can be detected."

"It's still not enough to get past the detectors underground." She mumbled while Haru's chakra dispersed. "Well, at least they release the way they're supposed to."

"It was a weak seal. The other ones should mask your chakra much better than this one." Neji pointed out, running a hand along her body to make sure she was purged of Haru's chakra.

Tenten watched his hand out of the corner of her eye. "I don't think the stronger ones we made will be enough either. I need to be undetectable, and that'll take a lot of fine tuning."

"But it will be possible. You have a harder time controlling your chakra with Haru's inside of you. It'll just take practice, and as you said, fine tuning."

"Another test then." She held out a tag for him. "I'm not doing this mission solo after all, let me see how much of your chakra I can detect."

"Very well." Neji took a tag and took a breath. Pressing his chakra down as much as he could, he released the tag, letting Haru's chakra slide over his, covering and blinding him as much it could from the detectors. Letting out a slow count in his mind, he let Haru's chakra disperse and his own swell back to normal. "How was that?"

Tenten's eyebrow twitched slightly. "Biased opinion aside...we really gotta work on your suppression skills and get you a much stronger tag. It cloaked even less of your chakra than mine. Less than half of what I detected was Haru's." She frowned and looked over the tags. "You respond much better to his chakra, so you probably will need a much stronger tag, and well you are a Hyuuga, chakra like yours isn't going to be masked as easily."

He frowned. "I made these tags particularly sensitive for this reason Tenten. I know that seals of Haru's chakra at this level are not going to mask neither you nor myself fully."

"I know, but they masked significantly less chakra of yours than mine, we should assume you're going to need a much stronger tag than I will to mask yours enough." She began taking notes on a scroll, some listing adjustments to chakra release rate, potency, and even the results of their first 'tests' of their weakest seals.

He looked over the results. "Are you going to able to handle the stronger bursts of chakra?" Tenten had held fine for a few minutes at the lowest power level of the seals; but who knew how she would react to the stronger ones? Her immunity to Haru's chakra was not growing quickly at all.

"I'm going to have to be able to handle it." She lay on her side while adding the notes. Her notes grew progressively more detailed and she mumbled incoherently under her breath.

"We should try and make a buffer; a layer of protection between you and Haru's chakra." It would make the masking a bit more difficult, but it would help protect her from the worst of it.

"Flattered though I am that you're so concerned for me...we'd be wasting time doing that." She looked over her notes and sighed before shifting to lie on her back. She stared up at the ceiling, now covered with wards. "I just need to develop a slightly stronger resistance to it."

"And how do you plan on doing that without a repeat of last time?" She had been wailing that she'd rather die than hurt, and while melodramatic, the words hadn't been truly false. He could always tell when she was just being dramatic and when she was being serious.

She held her breath for a moment and thought long and hard about the kind of pain she had been in. She thought about how hard it was to breathe, how painful it was. She thought about how Neji had to force the chakra into different locations, causing more widespread pain, but eliminating the unbearable pain she had been in. "I'm not sure, but I'll just have to find a way."

He shook his head. "A weak guard, even one that just protects you from the worst of it will be better." _Besides, who knows how long it will take to allow her immunity to build up?_ "It's not like we can mix it with Nobaru's or someone who's more compatible with you."

"It'll take a good deal of time to make one that will work without making things harder for us." She argued, counting in her head the number of wards that Neji had added. There were three per corner at least, four total on almost every wall face, the ceiling had a few more. He had even gone so far as to cut into small corners of the carpet to place wards under the carpet. She lost count at twenty, certain he had placed a few more here and there.

Neji pondered a moment, rubbing his chin. "What if the other seal was made from my chakra?"

"It'd take a stronger seal to mask my suppressed chakra and the small amount of yours, but..." She trailed off while she thought about how chakra worked, how theirs interacted, how strongly his affected her. Neji's chakra affected her as strongly as Haru's but in completely the opposite way. His chakra could temporarily strengthen hers, making her more resistant to Haru's. "...I guess it could work."

"It's better than you burning yourself out trying to get used to Haru's chakra." He took the notes, making a few notes of his own based on what he knew of his and Tenten's chakra interaction. "It would have to be short acting so it won't over power Haru's chakra."

"I could try to suppress it with mine, it would more or less contain your chakra in me temporarily, it would more strongly affect mine that way." She suggested, pointing out that it was similar to what would happen when she suppressed both their chakras. "…Minus the exhaustion, because I'm not suppressing all your chakra; I was able to do it for so long because of how our chakra interacts."

Neji nodded, adding her notes to his own. They would have to factor in more variables, make two or possibly up to six tags to balance the chakra properly. "My chakra should buffer yours against Haru's. As you said, considering how much less you will be forced to suppress of mine, it should be easier to handle and still afford you some protection."

"Why are you going through so much effort for me?" She shifted to her side and watched him. "Normally you'd tell someone to just deal with it."

"Because you're my partner and it also increases the chances of the mission being fulfilled successfully." He had called her his partner before citing the mission, and in his noticing it, he was vividly aware that it was something that did not slip past Tenten either.

His words made her pulse quicken only slightly, but very noticeably for her. "You're more concerned about me than the mission?"

"What?" He asked, he hadn't noticed his slip of the tongue. "I am concerned over both. I am not heartless Tenten."

"You mentioned me first, order of words spoken often indicates personal priority, that's why it's easy to profile people in interrogation, ask what they like, they'll always say the first thing on their mind. I asked why you were going through so much effort," she paused and took a breath, "you said because I was your partner, then pointed out the mission." Did she really take priority in his mind? Or was her mind simply hearing what she wanted to hear? It was confusing and she shook her head lightly. "I had a few classes in interrogation."

"I have had those classes as well. However, this isn't an interrogation, and I'm simply speaking my words without any restraint. I'm more focused on you at the moment because that is what we're working on and what my mind is focused on. You and the mission are equally important." Neji noted that for once, he had to think quickly to talk his way out of a little slip of words. He was never fond of those moments.

"Good point..." She said quietly. The mind did indeed see what it hoped to see. She mentally berated herself for her carelessness. Hoping for something that was not there, because she wanted it to be was just...just...foolish. She was sure that he knew without any doubt, that no mission was ever more important to her than him. She closed her eyes and smirked. "I must be getting tired, that's really not like me." Or maybe...maybe he really didn't know.

"It has been an exhausting night." Neji muttered, his own eyes aching slightly from the exhaustion that had caught up to him. "We can wrap up for tonight. There will be plenty to do for tomorrow."

She nodded. It would take weeks, at least another month and a half before they were ready for anything anyway, they had plenty of time to test, to fail, to correct any flaws. "If you feel up to it, I know those kids wear on you."

"I'll be fine Tenten." The kids were more mentally exhausting than anything. "If you put the seals away, I'll release the wards so we can go upstairs."

She nodded, grabbed the scrolls and seals, and placed them in a box and placed a brand new chakra binding seal on it once she closed it. She smirked slightly. "We really are being exceedingly cautious." It never hurt though, with Nobaru on the prowl. Between the twenty-some chakra wards, the binding seal on the box, and the natural seals she had placed on all the scrolls...It was overboard without a doubt, but she couldn't help but admire their work.

"It's best to err on caution, especially with the heightened security." Neji pointed out, carefully examining the area so they could leave the room without setting off their own chakra sensors, When they left the basement Ryuu was sitting in front of the door, staring at them. He had been ignored almost all night, and he wasn't happy about it. "Move fur ball. You're going to get stepped on." Neji moved past the cat, scrolls in hand for later review.

Tenten lightly picked up Ryuu and carried him to the bedroom. "You know we've been here almost a full nine months..."

"Yes. What's your point Tenten?"

She flopped back onto the bed with the cat and let him crawl across her to her pillow. "It's so hard to believe we've been here for that long, almost a year already, it doesn't feel like we've been here for that long."

Neji agreed. "It will take a bit of adjusting to move back to Konoha after this."

Konoha's winters would feel like a heat wave. Konoha's rainstorms would seem like nothing. Sleeping at night would be lonely, she'd be back to work, a few missions a week, he'd get married, they'd see each other less and less and...She shifted onto her side. She wanted to bang her head against the wall. The list wasn't so bad until she got to the part where he'd get married. It was like a torturous little mantra in her head that never seemed to go away. "I miss home, but I'm not exactly looking forward to going back."

He nodded."I cannot say that I am truly eager to return." While he did not enjoy the Cloud ninja, their village, or country by any means, he certainly enjoyed not being a Hyuuga for a short while.

"Maybe if we could go back to being sixteen it wouldn't be so bad." Ryuu took up the task of trying to crawl across her side to get to her pillow. It resulted in him hopping onto her and falling off a lot before she moved him to the pillow herself. "There were a lot of things I wanted to do then, that I just didn't do, things I should have done that I won't have a chance at again." She laughed lightly. "I wouldn't mind going back if I could be sixteen again, even if it meant I would still be a chuunin."

"I enjoy my current age." Neji said. He wouldn't go through puberty again if it was his mission. Changing into his night clothes, he sat and eventually laid back in bed.

"You were very pleasant at sixteen. At least till you found out about what your clan had in mind..." She mumbled. Neji went from pleasant to pissed in about twelve minutes, and it resulted in a very destroyed training ground.

"You act like I threw a hissy fit and hid myself in my room while writing depressing poetry in my diary." Neji mumbled. He had handled his displeasure with grace and dignity as far as he was concerned.

"No, you were just a lot more aggressive in training. I could feel the resentment and anger." She shifted back onto her back and stared at the ceiling. "You really trashed the training field, Lee was afraid to talk to you that day. You sounded calm and collected when you told me-" She paused; Neji had a gift for speaking volumes with his eyes. It just took a good deal of practice to read a Hyuuga by just their eyes. "but I knew you were angry about it."

"You're imagining the brunt of it. I'm sure I was significantly affronted, but I doubt that I scared Lee anymore than usual."

"After training he insisted that for his sake, and Gai-sensei's, that I spent some time alone with you so that you didn't lash out at him. Lee was just thinking of when you were twelve and thirteen, that's all." Lee had good reason; Neji had seemed very cold that day, more so than he had in years, he kept all his comments short and somewhat harsh. When he did speak, he avoided eye contact, focused on something at a slight distance with his eyes narrowed. "Anyone who'd been around you as long as Lee or I would have known it was better to just let me deal with you that day."

"And what were you then, a healing balm for my aching teenaged soul?" He disliked the way Lee had made it seem like Tenten was a comforting plush for a rampaging three year old. He knew he could have kept the overwhelming sarcasm out of his voice, but Tenten could easily understand where it was coming from.

"No," she corrected gently, "just a friend who was willing to listen." She smiled slightly at his comment though. "Lee knew you'd sooner talk to me. I'd like to think what little I could do wasn't totally wasted effort." Neji had after all, always listened to her. When she was frustrated, or had pushed herself to far, or when she was excited, he had always listened, either with a roll of his eyes or a smirk, or sometimes even a bit of laughter.

"I don't recall doing much talking." He wasn't the gushing type, he never had been. Usually their 'talks' had been scrimmages and training, working until his body was exhausted to he point where he could barely think of his troubles. It was only then that he would reveal to Tenten what was bothering him, in single sentence form.

"You never did say much. I think all you said was 'they're making me marry someone' and you just sounded so bitter." She leaned back into her pillow and took a slow breath. "We grabbed lunch, went to the field I used to train in and just stayed there most of the day. It was three days after you became a jounin. Mom wanted you to spend the night when I finally got home, we didn't have any active missions so..." She tried to think of what they had done before chuckling. "I think we camped out on the roof, and just stayed up there all night." He had admitted he saw it coming, he just wasn't sure when it would happen. He admitted he didn't like it, but he also admitted there was nothing he could really do about it. His tone had been very bitter and she knew exactly why.

He shrugged. He didn't remember much of that day, just being pissy and taking it out on everyone. Though he did remember clearly that they did camp out on her roof. "I remember that you cried when you thought I was sleeping." He mumbled to himself, aware that when he did so, she almost always heard him.

Tenten tensed. "You can't remember most of the day, but you remember that?" Why of all things did he have to remember that? "Sure you don't have it messed up with a different day?" She suggested, she had been so certain he had been asleep.

"I believe it was the same day. You mumbled something about crying because I wouldn't." It had seemed stupid to him at the time. He didn't need to cry, it had just been his lot in life, much as he detest it. He would be lying though, if he did not admit that it had made him feel somewhat better. At least someone cared enough about him and what he may have wanted to cry.

Ryuu snuck across the pillows and pawed lightly at his male owners hair. Not much, but enough to get a hand waving him away once, a much more amusing object to swat at. Tenten sighed and lifted Ryuu away from Neji. "It was difficult to deal with at that age, you always said I was too emotional, always letting things get to me." She pet the cat until he crawled onto her stomach and laid down, purring very loudly.

"You are a girl, and were going through puberty and hormone changes. In retrospect, you were nowhere near as volatile as Sakura or Ino." He answered calmly, thinking of all the horrible cat fights that had started from that time in their lives.

"Thanks, I think." She chuckled.

He smiled. "Go to sleep Tenten. We have a lot more work we need to start tomorrow."

"I'll work on preparing some seals while you're working, so we have less preparation time when you get home." She sighed and rolled her eyes at the cat, already falling asleep on her stomach.

He nodded, closing his eyes with an amused smirk on his face. He didn't think it was going to be a night of reminicing, but he certainly didn't mind.

* * *

**AN: If you ever wondered WHY my updating takes so long, it's sporadic comments like this in our work that are totally out of character that I have to go and edit out while Kigen and I are typing.**

**Kigen: tenten isn't allowed to call neji on his not nejiness!**

**FarawayDawn: sure she is! :/ she had a psychology 101 moment!**

**Kigen: nu! neji's nejiness is than**  
**psychology 101. it's like calling kamichan on her fangirlism. it's just not**  
**done**

**FarawayDawn: XD psychology 101 dicates all**  
**things even Kamichan's fangirlism is dictated by psychology**

**Kigen: Kamichan is directed by kamichan.**  
**kamichan psychology**

**Till next time guys~ Hope you enjoyed the chapter and the random discussion between Kigen and I.**


	27. Chapter 27

**Disillusioned**

by: Faraway Dawn and Kigen

**AN: Well...So a good week ago ALL my files were completely lost regarding this story when my external hard drive crashed. OMG I almost freaking screamed my head off for hours (I cried, I actually cried) when I realized it was gone! I think my first thought was, great, now I have to give up on the story, I've lost everything, I could never just make up 10+ chapters that have been lost! Well, you all owe my friend Garret a really really big hug...because he managed to recover all my files :D thus...I update!**

**Also...I so aced my finals for Fall term! Thus! I UPDATE!**

**Sorry for the wait guys! Kigen and I love you both for your continued story support!**

* * *

Chapter 27

Tenten's plans to prepare in advance for Neji to get home were cut short. Nobaru showing up had been funny. At least she had been able to torture him, Karou and one of the others stopping by early morning, right after she had finished cleaning was not what she had in mind. Tenten watched the two fuss in her kitchen, baking all sorts of things, arguing that her fridge simply did not have enough food, and her cupboards lacked the kind of sweets that made up for the horrible weather. "Tsubasa doesn't really have time to uh...cook as much as he used to." She watched Karou making whatever she was making. It reminded her of those almond cakes her mother would make in the fall. She wished Neji was at least home to shoo them out of the house. Eiko was still asking perverse questions about her sex life, even while baking.

"What I don't understand, is how you don't have any marks." Eiko sighed as she kneaded dough. "No hickies, no bruises from restraints and struggling, no scratches, no love bites, nothing. And you are not wearing so much that I shouldn't be able to see anything at all."

"Good locations?" Tenten offered with a light blush. She imagined Neji choking on his tea while listening to such a conversation and then staring at her with a mortified expression. That always made things easier. "I don't know how you guys can make these things without a recipe to follow."

"Practice, practice, and more practice. After a while it becomes second nature, dear." Karou shaped her own dough into little cookies. "Surely there's something even you can make with no direction?"

Tenten went through the list in her mind. _Yeah, explosive tags, explosive wire traps, heck I could make my own kunai if I wanted to..._ "Uh...I can make a sesame and peanut sauce, and I can make something with ginger..." She shrugged and smiled slightly, embarrassment at her lack of cooking skill evident.

Karou clucked her tongue. "Didn't your mother try to teach you something; a family recipe maybe?"

"Yeah once, and she taught Tsubasa when she realized I was hopeless at cooking." Tenten admitted. Neji knew half of her mother's recipes, not only did he know them, but he knew them better than her own mother did.

Eiko sighed. "He cooks, he's gorgeous, and I bet he knows how to handle a whip. Can we clone him if he doesn't have any brothers? Can he perform a good kage-no-bushin?"

"You should have seen him when he was a teenager." Tenten sighed watching the pair of women out bake her by a long shot. She had no idea what sort of mixing technique they were using, much less why an oven had to be set at an exact temperature.

"Oh trust me, I wish I had." Eiko let out a dreamy sigh. "It makes me shiver, imagining what it would have been like. I bet he was the rebellious type."

_Eh...sorta._ Tenten mused, if you considered his behavior at thirteen, rebellious was a good way to put it. "No no, I mean you should have seen him spar, or when he'd get home from his missions, or at his chuunin exam." Tenten smirked. The second chuunin exams were some of the most amusing times she had with Neji. Both had passed, no longer needing to cheat on their written portions, and of course the elimination rounds, and the tournament portion of the exam. "Now I was in the stands watching, but you should have seen him." Tenten paused only to grab one of the cooling cookies to taste it. "Poetry in motion sounds corny, but that's what it was."

"He is graceful." Karou agreed, adding a decorative twist in the dough for the cookies

"Mmmnn. Which tournament was he in? I remember attending quite a few with my husband, but I know I haven't seen Tsubasa before."

Tenten shrugged. "They were all the chuunin exams to me, I never paid much attention. Fire Country and Lightning country were on very bad terms when he tested. When he did test, I remember none of the cloud ninja or sand ninja got through the elimination rounds, though I heard a few were made chuunin anyway."

"Aw, I can't remember that at all." Eiko sighed. "Dammit. I wished I could have seen it. It would have given me material to work off of for ages!"

"His hair got loose in the fight." The reason they had not seen Neji fight, had a lot to do with the fact that as she had stated, none of the cloud ninja had made it past the elimination round. Very few families and lords of the area remained to watch. She was sure at some point one of her own spacey sighs slipped loose while she nibbled at the cooling cookie she had swiped. "When we went to the training area here, his clothes got muddy, so he trained with his shirt off." Tenten smirked at the memory. He had been pressed right against her, instructing her as he moved her through his taijutsu. She felt warmth spread to her cheeks. "I love when he does his taijutsu."

While Eiko pondered that lovely image, Karou prodded Tenten's shoulder. "Amaya dear, your cookies are smoking."

"What?" Tenten hurried opened the oven, grabbed mitts and pulled the cookies out. "Aw man...I'll never hear the end of this one." She mumbled when right on cue, the smoke detector went off.

While Eiko grabbed an apron and waved it at the smoke detector, Karou cracked a few windows. "And that batch looked like it was going to be edible too." They had learned not to expect too much from Amaya's cooking.

Tenten sighed about an hour later when the women put her to work making one of her few edible meals for lunch. At least, Neji would have something to laugh about when he came home. She had burnt cookies to such an extreme that one of them was smoldering. "That's why Tsubasa says the only dangerous thing about me is my cooking." She sighed turning down the temperature while the noodles cooked. They would be done in exactly ten minutes. She proceeded to moving both ladies out of the way while she took care of the task of chopping peanuts. "You should see him try to cut things though, blind yeah but still good at it, nowhere near as good as I am though." Within a few seconds, a good bit of nuts were chopped into perfect tiny cubes. "My mother let me cut food, never let me cook it."

"You said your family is in the weapon making business, didn't you?" Eiko asked, wiping up a mess on the counter.

Tenten nodded. "My father and his brother owned a shop when my family lived in Suna, after my uncle died, my parents and I moved to Konoha and they set up shop there. There were a few others to contend with, but clans always play favorites."

"So then you learned to play with blades at an early age." Karou nodded, examining her work. "You're as good as any ninja I know dear."

"I wasn't when I was a kid." She smiled holding out her hands. There were a few light, barely visible scars on her hands. "Mom went nuts when I cut myself sometimes while trying to cut chicken faster than my dad."

"Everyone cuts themselves now and again dear. But, a mother never stops being a mother."Karou sighed, tutting over her empty nest.

"A lesson I have yet to learn, I guess." Tenten smiled. When she compared herself and Neji in her mind, a child of his was so likely to be calm and quiet, happy, but calm. A child of hers was likely to be exploring everything and anything, asking why, playing with any sharp object in sight... "I think the academy kids are making Tsubasa nervous about being a father though." She laughed recalling every horror story he came home with.

"You know what they say about enemy ninja and academy children. Always choose the enemy ninja. They at least know what they're doing." Karou chuckled.

"He makes me miss being a teenager though. There was just so much going on when he was a teenager, I'm not one to have regrets normally." She added the noodles to the pan she had stir fried chicken in and added the sesame and peanut sauce. "Oh, but I wish I had told him how I felt sooner." She sprinkled the peanuts on and let it cook a few minutes longer before putting a bit on three plates, pouring tea, and taking it out to the dining room table. She'd have not told Lee, and instead, just told Neji. "I think I spent too long waiting for things to happen, that I could have just made happen if I had been a bit braver."

"Ah, but we all spent out girlhood waiting for our brave shinobi to come and sweep us off our feet." Karou sympathized. "My Kentaro was so awkward when he started dating. It's sweet looking back."

The three had what Tenten could classify as one of the girliest discussions she'd ever had over lunch. It comprised of romantic times, awkward times, the things all women apparently hoped for in bed, and so on. Ino would have had a field day with Eiko. Sakura would have enjoyed talking to Karou.

Hours later, Neji came home with a headache, but otherwise better than the usual day. "I'm home." He called, toeing off his sandals.

"In the living room..." Tenten called. Karou had left earlier in the afternoon, citing that she needed to shop still and get dinner ready. Eiko had left only a short time prior to Neji's arrival. "You have no idea...how glad I am you're home." She groaned pulling a pillow over her head on the couch. "I thought they'd never leave."

"Your turn to host the gossiping house wives?" He noted her exhausted expression, and the smell of unburnt cookies in the air.

"Yeah." She mumbled under the pillow.

"My condolences… Should I made dinner or did the others make it?"

"They made me make lunch." She said lifting the pillow away. "I got to listen to Eiko fawn over you for about five hours."

"Better then reading your porn stories to the cat I'd still imagine." He walked into the kitchen and began pulling out pans and searching through the fridge.

"It's kinda like listening to a cat tell porn stories." She mumbled.

"A level of communication I didn't need to know you and the kitten had."

"We don't have that level of communication. It's just that's how strange listening to her gush over you is." She laughed cheerfully but it did bite at a jealous side of her.

"I can assure you, it's not nearly as strange as hearing sever year olds gush over you; and think they're being stealthy about it."

"I told Eiko she should have seen you as a teenager, she shivered, Neji she actually shivered and had this spacey look on her face, then she said she wished she had seen you. She thinks you were the rebellious type." She smirked. "Oh and she bets you know how to handle a whip. She also wants to clone you."

"... Isn't she married?" He raised an eyebrow.

"Yep. Her daughter is in your class." She continued to smirk into the pillow.

"... Thank you for the disturbing image. I do not want to think of Asuka as my child." That had to be Eiko's daughter. They were practically clones of each other.

"Her niece is in your class too. Aya, I think."

"No wonder everyone's obsessed over us. They're all inbred and related to Eiko." Was there really nothing better for them to do in the middle of winter?

"Eiko told me that Aya has a crush on a boy in your class though, seriously not interested in you at all, likes you, thinks you're a great teacher, goes on and on about how the adults need to be more responsible like you..." She pulled the pillow away and stared at the ceiling. "but she likes a boy in her class." Tenten laughed, it was a relief she added, that at least one girl in his class didn't have it in for her.

"At least one of them knows to stay with those their own age. I'm beginning to wonder what this country's age of consent is."

"It's fifteen, the same as Fire Country. I think like you said, they just have thing for Fire Country accents." Ryuu hopped up on the couch beside her, finally free to stop hiding. "Eiko scared Ryuu though, he's terrified of her, and she keeps going on about how cute he is and tries to play with his ears."

"Even the fur ball isn't that stupid." Neji pitied the animal a bit though; heaven only knew what would happen to him if Eiko got her hands on him.

Tenten lightly rubbed Ryuu under the chin. "He means that in the nicest of ways." She told the cat. "How much are we planning to do tonight?"

"How much were you able to prepare with the company?" He opened the fridge to see what they had. the chicken had been used up, so he pulled out the beef to slice

"None, they just showed up and stayed till just before you left work, despite me saying I had things to do." She grumbled. She could still recall Eiko commenting that for such an active sex life, she had so few marks to show for it. "Eiko thinks I don't have enough...marks for such an active sex life. I told her they were just in good locations."

"Would you like me to hold you down and mark you like some wild beast?" He asked sarcastically, looking to see what else they had. There were still several ripe peppers on their way out. He chose those and an onion. Pepper steak would be a change of pace, especially since she had managed to find beef at a discount.

Tenten smirked at the ceiling. "Go for it if you want, Eiko will be thrilled." She answered while Ryuu purred contently at her attention. He was walking back and forth across her stomach, rubbing against her hand.

"Tell her if she's so concerned about the marks on your body, she can suck you herself." Neji rolled his eyes, telling himself all the while that the women of the village had absolutely no lives.

"Ugh..." Tenten shuddered. "You're a cruel, cruel man. Ugh, it's gonna take a few hours to get that out of my head."

"Consider it payback for those comments about Nobaru." Neji smirked to himself, chopping the onions.

"Here I thought you were above revenge." She shook her head to clear it and stabilized Ryuu who looked shocked by her sudden motion.

"Just because I am above revenge does not mean I will not stoop should the opportunity present itself."

Tenten smiled and breathed in slowly. She smelled beef and pepper. "You're still an ass for doing it. Good thing you're my best friend or I'd have to beat you senseless for that."

"If you beat me senseless, you would have to finish cooking dinner and would only be punishing yourself." He pointed out. He was in a different kind of mood today, resulting in him bantering a bit more than usual, and teasing her quite openly more than usual.

"You're acting...weird." She sat up slightly and looked over her shoulder towards the kitchen. He was talking a lot more than usual, joking even a lot more than usual.

"I'm simply in a good mood Tenten." Sure was being a bit talkative, but he had had an amusing day at school, one that simply couldn't help but prompt a good mood from him.

"Yeah..." That was putting it lightly. He'd tell her eventually, especially with her slightly disturbed tone of voice. It was driving her crazy, and freaking her out a little as well. He could tell her the reason for his mood now, or drag it out a bit longer. "Think one of the kids finally drugged him?" She whispered to the cat. She knew that was impossible, Neji was too smart to be drugged by a kid... "Or maybe one of the women did it, and gave the kid something that looked totally harmless." Ryuu purred and continued to rub against her hands. "Maybe Haru's chakra finally cracked him..." She mumbled.

"Wrong on all of the above Tenten, it's not something nearly as creative as any of those. I wasn't drugged."

"Then what are you so...chipper about?" She glanced over in the direction of the kitchen. "It's kinda weird, even for you."

"Something good and unexpected happened to me is all."

"Something like?" Finding out that at least two of his students were normal? His entire class finally passed a test? His assistant let him take the entire day off?

"We started a new lesson plan today."

What was so great about a new lesson plan that had him in such a good mood? She tilted her head and shrugged at the cat.

It had been amusing to say the least. Henges were always amusing to show the class, especially when the 'hot teacher' spent the lesson as a wrinkled old overweight woman.

"Neji what did you do to your class?" She finally asked. He was too amused, she could hear it in his voice, the simple change in the way he spoke, the way he mentioned a new 'lesson plan' even indicated that he had tortured his students.

"We started to learn about henges today; since 80% of the class passed the papers this week."

"Oh boy..." She sighed and rubbed her head. "What did you do, turn yourself into a wrinkly old bag, with bad clothes and a bad attitude?"

"And enough fat to make Chouji's inflation jutsu look slim." He chuckled, wishing that he could have seen the children's faces, but he opted to not risk activating the byakugan.

Fat, cranky, wrinkly, old lady Neji...it was a bad mental picture no matter how she looked at it. "I pity the kids." She said firmly. "For once, I actually pity them."

"It was amusing to say the least, I didn't get asked to leave you once today. Will you set the table?"

"Yeah." She set the cat down and gathered their plates and cups; she made tea, and carried everything to the table. He left the kitchen with their food and began plating it.

"So, where are we going to start tonight?" She sat down and poured their tea.

"We're going to work on creating the buffer with my chakra so that you can handle larger amounts of Haru's chakra."

"You're really insistent on that huh?" She handed him his tea and started eating.

"It will help the success of the mission, even if it will take some time."

"I guess." She ate tried to think how they would go about making effective tags. If they put just the right amount of chakra into each tag, she could activate them, absorb the chakra, and use it to strengthen hers. There was also the possibility they could make it release in more of a warding manner, so that his chakra would take the brunt of the damage, but it was far more easily detectable. Ryuu pawed at her feet under the table while she thought.

"We should try to make one that will help to merge with your chakra. One that is purely a buffer will be too easily detected. We'll have to experiment different ways to help my chakra enter you."

"Huh?" Tenten snapped out of her daze and almost dropped her chopsticks.

"We'll need to find the best method to allow my chakra to pass into your body." He repeated.

"Oh, yeah of course." She grabbed her tea and took a quick sip. "How exactly do you plan to do that anyway?" She raised a brow at him from over the edge of her tea cup.

"If we place seals over certain points of your body, we can manipulate it so it would send in a steady supply of my chakra at fixed amounts, it will boost your system enough to help counter Haru's."

"Or we could just mess with tags till it works..."

"And it would jeopardize the mission, we'll both be subjected the tags for long periods of time. I've been paying attention to its affect on your system, it poisons you. We can't just hope you build immunity."

"No, no I mean...try making tags containing your chakra that I can just absorb." She tried to explain that she had meant messing with tags of his chakra until they worked, rather than placing seals on her body, which to her sounded mildly perverse.

"It would be the easiest way, and the most easy to place to specific levels of chakra." He pointed out. Yes it would be awkward, but nothing horrible.

"Yeah...but..." She tried to argue, knowing that Neji would do what Neji thought was most effective, despite her arguing.

"Tenten, it has advantages for both customization and ability to perform. Why are you so opposed to it?"

"I...well..." She tried to think of a logical reason to not do it. There were no logical reasons, all of it was personal. It was awkward, it was frustrating, and it made her think too much. "I don't know."

"Then that's what we will use." He answered, finally beginning to eat his dinner.

Tenten sighed in resignation. There was no stopping Neji when you had no rational argument, so she ate silently in defeat while Ryuu continued to play under the table.

The silence did not go unnoticed and after a few minutes Neji looked up at her. "Why is it bothering you so much?"

"It's not bothering me." She said quietly. Ryuu was meowing and tugging on the bottoms of her pants. She waved her hand under the table to get Ryuu to stop.

"You're moping Tenten… dramatically so."

"If I were moping, you'd know. You've never really seen me mope." She finished her food and tea and swatted Ryuu away again. Ryuu proceeded to attack Neji's pants. "It's just awkward..."

"What's awkward about it? It's the same as what I do to cleanse you; just with tags rather than my hands."

She gave him an odd look. Maybe he really didn't get it. No...He definitely didn't get it. "Don't worry about it."

"If you say so." He frowned, wondering what she was keeping from him. She seemed so embarrassed and Tenten was rarely embarrassed when she wasn't acting the part. "Is this because of something Eiko said?"

She shook her head and assured him it was nothing before picking up her clear plate and taking it to the kitchen. "Seriously, it's nothing, don't worry about it."

"All right." Upon finishing his meal he took his plate to the kitchen. He washed, she dried and put away, all the while Ryuu was being obscenely playful, attempting to both pounce on their feet and attack their pants.

"Anything in particular we'll need that's not already down there?"

He shook his head. "We have all the materials we'll need downstairs." It was just a matter of making the seals to contain his chakra.

Tenten nodded, picked up the cat and took him into the living room. She found a few of his toys, insisted he play upstairs and be good, before she set him down on the couch. "Sorry Ryuu, I play with you tomorrow more." She told him before heading into the basement to wait for Neji. She pulled out a few kunai and struck the targets still scattered around the basement.

"Why are you apologizing to the cat?" Neji asked as he started to set up the wards He watched her throw the kunai at the targets as he moved the carpet.

"He's lonely, that's why he was acting the way he was at dinner." Another pair was thrown a bit more forcefully than the last just past Neji to the targets behind him. Neji pointed out as he placed less than the usual amount that he doubted they'd be getting to Haru's chakra that night. She did not answer but threw a set of shuriken with her kunai, Neji remained relatively still trusting to her aim to miss him and only hit her targets, as always. He was always one of the rare few who could stand still and trust her to never strike anything but her target.

"You shouldn't get so attached. What are you going to do when we return to Konoha? I doubt the cat will make it past customs."

"Like we entered this country so legally, why would we leave legally?" Tenten shrugged. "Never mind that, let's just get to work." She suggested while gathering most of their scrolls and blank tags.

Neji affixed the last few wards and sat next to Tenten, grabbing a few brushes. It would mostly be trial and error to affix the right amount of chakra at the right release rate for the job.

Tenten watched him quietly. She wasn't sure how well things would work. She wasn't sure how long it would take. She was sure the part that bothered her most, was being unsure how awkward it would get.

Neji looked over the notes, Haru's chakra tended to focus itself in Tenten's torso, concentrating in her heart chakra. It also tended to linger in her crown and mind's eye chakra, as was normal for any chakra to a genjutsu specialist. "Tenten, take off your shirt please."

Tenten snapped out of her light daze. That was no hallucination; she knew he said what she thought he said. "What?" Her eyes were slightly wide, her expression was somewhat disbelieving.

"Take off your shirt, and your bindings. I need direct access to your heart chakra." Neji had the decency at least to glance away with a faint blush even though he tried to force it down.

Tenten crossed her arms over her chest. "You don't need that much access..." Her cheeks were bright red.

"I need to have contact to your chakra point. If it bothers you, go get one of my button-up shirts." Yes it was a bit embarrassing and made his mind turn in directions that were both inappropriate and made him loose his focus but the longer she resisted the more he was forced to think about it.

"I don't have to take them off fully. I know where the chakra points around the heart are." She fidgeted and took off her shit before her hands started removing her bindings, stopping after a few seconds. "There see?" She pointed to her chest. "Not exposed at all, but you have your access." Her cheeks were still a faint pink. "And don't even tell me you need them off more, I know exactly how much needs to be exposed."

He rolled his eyes. "You act like I'm trying to rob you of your maidenhood." He muttered, placing his fingertips against the chakra points, experimenting with different flows of his chakra into her.

"Hmph, if I'm the only one embarrassed here, why are your cheeks red?" She then turned her attention to his hands, and the flow of his chakra. "You know, I'm starting to think Tsunade-sama might have thought out who to send a bit too thoroughly." Perhaps she had known things might have been more difficult than they had expected, it was common knowledge among the higher ups of Konoha that she and Neji had very compatible chakra.

"We were a practical choice. Our chakra tag system is unusual to say the least. I doubt that they were looking so far ahead as to consider chakra compatibility." They had needed two unmarked ninja who were classified as ANBU in their age group. Out of all the ninja their age, they were the two who could best pass for normal people, and they were among the few unmarked ANBU.

"I think she knew it could be worse than expected. I think them saying that we were the only ones available, and the only practical choice, was just their way of saying this required a certain set of skills." She looked up slightly. "A certain type of bond others just don't have. My chakra responds positively to yours, your chakra responds to mine too though. I can't suppress chakra of other people as well as I can yours."

"It is certainly an advantage." He forced a bit more of his chakra into her, electing a gasp and a shiver. "Too much, or did I catching you off guard?"

"It's fine." She answered quickly. "Just feels a bit...different." So much chakra should have been devastating. So much chakra could do unfathomable damage to people...if he was trying to hurt them.

He lowered the amount of chakra. "Is this better? The chakra level can't be so high as to distract you from the mission."

She nodded. He didn't need to know that there was a very specific feeling so much chakra created, and he didn't need to know that she liked the feeling. "You have to remember, I need to be able to suppress this too."

"Can you suppress this amount?" She was rather good at suppressing his chakra, but there was Haru's to factor in as well, and he wasn't sure how well she'd be able to mask her chakra, his, and utilize Haru's at the same time.

"I think so. Neji, containing someone else's chakra only lasts so long though." Eventually his chakra would fade and leave her system, just like Haru's.

"We can use multiple tags, or set it off to release it in set amounts of time." He mused, thinking over several different possibilities.

"Your chakra will fade eventually though, how long are you expecting this to last, and how effective do you think it will be?" She sighed and closed her eyes. "I can control the chakra when it's inside me, without tags to release it. Your chakra won't remain in my system for an extended period of time though."

"It could with multiple tags. Or..." He weighed the idea in his mind. "…a main tag over your heart chakra, with several smaller tags along your body, releasing chakra at measure intervals."

"Yeah, really discreet..." She rolled her eyes.

"You would be covered with tags yes, but it is the most simple option."

"You could let me help." She took hold of one of the brushes, pushed up one of his sleeves and very quickly moved the brush to form a seal on his arm. "This is...going to feel very weird." She placed a hand on the still wet seal and activated it. It did what he could do to chakra points instantly. Chakra flow through his hand stopped and until she altered the flow of chakra into the seal his chakra remained sealed. "I know what I'm doing you know."

Neji looked at his arm. "Do you think that the skin would be a good substitute?" Skin was organic…It shifted and pulsed and gave off chakra like any part of the body. Paper seals were much better when it came to fine tuning.

"If you know exactly how to make the seal exactly the way you want it to work, it's better. Neji, do you really like the idea of working with paper seals stuck to your body?" She raised and eyebrow, knowing how much he'd complain if his clothes didn't fit just right.

"The last time I painted seals on your body, you laughed and complained that it tickled too much. Not to mention you smeared the seals so I had to repaint them several times."

"That was on my legs and arms, I'm a bit ticklish there." She argued.

"And you do not believe your chest and belly are going to be just as ticklish?"

"I think I can handle it. It's not like you're going to be trying to tickle me, I'd have to question your motives there."

As though to demonstrate, Neji reached forward and brushed his fingers lightly over Tenten's bare stomach, electing giggles. "Even if I don't try to tickle, it still does."

"And just what the hell did you do that for?" She bit back her laughter. She liked his touch there. "Ok seriously now..."

"Proving a point. Drawing seals on the body would be time consuming and frustrating." Frustrating in more ways that he was willing to admit.

"I'm not wearing paper seals, so don't even think about it." She argued.

"And what is the problem with paper seals?" He was certain they were the better choice, regardless of what Tenten said.

She sighed, grabbed a paper seal and slipped her hand under his shirt. She placed the seal on his body and told him to move into certain positions and tell her how comfortably he could work. Her eyes expressed utmost irritation with the idea. "My clothes are tighter than yours Neji. I am not working with paper under my clothes, while trying to work covertly."

"Then you can wear looser clothing." He sighed. Was this really such a big deal to her? "I'm not going to rewrite complex seals multiple times because you don't like the way they feel."

"Then just let me deal with Haru's chakra on my own." She crossed her arms again. "I'm willing to let you help, but if we do use your chakra it needs to be effective and it needs to not be a distraction to me." It was that she said, or she'd just have to deal with Haru's chakra on her own.

"Having my chakra inside of you is less of a distraction than paper seals?" He raised an eyebrow, "You're being unreasonable Tenten."

"You've never seen me be unreasonable." She answered. Why was he making such a big deal of a little extra time and effort? It would make things easier, the seals would be easier for her to work with and control, she'd be much less likely to get caught.

"You're being unreasonable now. Paper seal have the advantage of fine control, which is what we need. Tell me why you need the seals on your skin other than your comfort level." Paper seals were easier for Neji; he could not see any downsides.

"Because I can manipulate them more directly, since I am the one that will be dealing with them when actively working, I think I should be the one to decide. I have to be the one who uses the chakra at set times, I have to be the one to decide when exactly to use it. I am the one who has to control the chakra and suppress it. You should be doing everything to make that easier for me."

He sighed, massaging his temple. Unfortunately her points were valid, but he would not admit that aloud. No, if he did that, she'd be gloating for weeks about being right. "There's no way around this for you is there?" He was not admitting defeat; simply saving himself a headache by listening to Tenten argue efficiently.

"Do you want this to work, or do you want me to just suffer Haru's chakra and hope for the best?" She in turn rubbed her forehead lightly.

"You're the one who said that we should focus on you building a resistance rather than a barrier method." He grabbed a brush and the ink. "Lay on your back Tenten."

She did as she was told, assuming he was willing to work with her rather than against her. She took one deep calming breath and closed her eyes. It was easier to handle being slightly ticklish if one was prepared to focus on something else. She let her thoughts wander very far away from the work their mission was making them do.

The first place would be the heart chakra. Dipping the brush in the ink, he turned, and hesitated. "Tenten, I need you to reveal more of your chest."

She in turn bit her lip and sat up. Tenten turned away from him and unwound the bindings further, further still, until they fell loosely around her waist. She turned back, her cheeks more than a bit red, with her arm crossed over her chest covering herself. "This is really awkward you know." She said quietly, resuming her position lying down.

"You're the one who wanted to have the seals drawn on you." He ran the brush over her skin, watching her shiver from the cold ink, skin twitching under the ministrations.

"It'd be awkward either way. Paper seals have to be placed at exact locations that would require I remove more anyway." She kept her eyes closed and resumed doing her best to breathe deeply and calmly. She refused, adamantly to look at him.

For his credit, he kept his eyes on the seal and off her heaving breasts. Finishing the seal, he placed his hand down gingerly, so as not to disrupt the ink. Closing his eyes, he focused his chakra into the seal before pulling his hand away. "How is that?"

Tenten kept her eyes closed, she felt his chakra bound to the seal, she felt it mingle enough with hers to control, and she felt her own chakra respond to it. "It feels like it usually does." She said quietly, almost too calmly. "It's comfortable, manageable, and calming."

"Can you easily control the flow released?" The seal still needed tweaking to accept Haru's chakra on top of his.

"I think so." She muttered that without moving her hands to form the seals to release the chakra more completely into her system, she wouldn't be able to tell for sure, and she damn well wasn't moving her hands.

"Can you feel anything that needs adjusted?" He placed a hand near the seal, monitoring their mixed chakras.

She shook her head lightly. She could feel the warmth of his hand near her chest, it made her nervous. Oddly despite her nerves it also made her feel safe.

"Do you feel up to trying it with Haru's chakra?" She looked tired, and had an odd dazed expression on her face.

"Can I have my shirt on at least?" She teased.

He rolled his eyes and handed her a shirt. "It's not as if I haven't seen it before." He turned his back to collect of the seals with Haru's chakra

She tugged the shirt on. "Stop saying that, you've seen me practically naked, never fully naked, and you're lying if you say you have." Then it hit her, oh he had never said he'd seen her, but he said it was something he'd seen. She sighed to herself. Just because he'd never been with someone didn't mean he hadn't seen someone in such a way.

"From behind, the day you fell in the mud while training, and had to change your clothes." He had only caught a glance, but he had seen more than he had ever meant to

"That doesn't count." She said lightly, brushing it off, but mildly pleased at least that it was her.

"I have also seen nude pictures of you." He grinned. They were baby pictures that her mother had forced upon him, but nude pictures none the less.

"Like hell." She threw a glance over her shoulder. "The only pictures of me like that were from when I was a baby." Then she quirked a brow. "Cute Neji...remind me to hit you later."

"It was your mother who made me take them home with me." He pointed out, pausing to reinforce the wards again.

Now Tenten was really looking at him funny. "You took them home?"

"She made me take them. I think they're in a drawer in the kitchen or something." He muttered as he worked.

"What?" She stared at him with a horrified expression. In such a location any Hyuuga would have been able to see them... "Oh god...why didn't you just burn them?"

"Why would I have burned them?" He shot her a strange look. "I haven't seen them in years. They've probably been thrown away by someone by now."

She shuddered. "Why keep them is the real question."

He shrugged. "I saw no purpose in throwing them away, and merely put them to the side." There hadn't been a real reason, aside from the fact it seemed a waste to throw away pictures, especially when her mother could snap out of whatever delirium grabbed her and request them back. Granted…that never happened…

"Oh god I hope no one else in your family saw those..." She buried her face in her hands in embarrassment. "I have such a good reputation for being somewhat normal too..."

"Having eccentric parents with embarrassing baby pictures is hardly something abnormal." Tenten's mother was abnormal in her own special way; but nothing to be looked down upon.

She muttered that it was embarrassing before turning to face him, shirt held firmly closed.

"If it makes you feel better, I did throw the ones she gave me of you sleeping in your underwear away." He wondered if Tenten had even been aware of that picture's existence.

Tenten flinched. "How old was I?"

"Somewhere between the ages of 17 and 19." He thought back. She was wearing panties and a tank top with tiny teddy bears on it, and he couldn't recall her wearing those when he spent the night, and strangely the image made him blush almost immediately which prompted a very pleased and excited reaction from Tenten's mother.

That was it. Tenten rubbed her head and apologized for her mother's odd behavior. Such things were simply painfully embarrassing. _Oh mom...I love you I really do, but if you weren't my mom, I'd have to kill you. _

"At least you won't have to worry about having a mother against you marrying." He pointed out, taking the seal of Haru's chakra and sitting in front of her

"Yeah I do." She looked at the seal. "Considering she's violently opposed to me being with anyone but you, I think we're gonna have some issues in the future."

"I'm sure she'll approve of whoever you marry. It will simply take her time to get used to the idea," He was just a phase of her mother's. A long phase, but a phase none the less…

She smiled slightly. At least he was optimistic that her mother would be able to handle it. "I'm ready to start when you are."

"The binds are in place. We can start." He handed her the tag and watched, prepared to step in if needed.

Her hands moved swiftly through the seals to suppress her chakra and his, then her hands formed the seals to draw on his chakra, then at last she activated the tag. It was an odd sensation. A warm soothing feeling countered by one desperately seeking to burn, she felt little effect from Haru's chakra at all, minus the natural awareness that the warmth she felt was Neji's own chakra warding it. "So?" She asked looking at him.

"Twenty-seven percent chakra detection," He looked at the tag, "but you're managing it much better, and it can be fixed with a bit more alteration I'm sure." He looked at her. "How are you feeling?"

"I feel fine. I can barely feel Haru's chakra, and the only reason I can is because I can feel yours..." She trailed off. How was it that his chakra responded so well to Haru's? It resisted Haru's chakra, it protected hers, and while it made sense that she was controlling a small amount of his chakra and making it do that still it felt... "I feel yours responding." It was strange to think that chakra bound in another could respond so well to the will of another, strange to think it could protect them so effectively. She shook her head lightly. "It just feels warm." It was after all, a very high level technique to bind another's chakra in another person to use as a ward. Usually it was very dangerous, requiring very compatible chakra, or a very skilled medic to perform.

"You're light headed." He noticed her eyes fluttering and her troubled focusing. He took the tag of Haru's chakra and bound it, placing his hand over the seal on Tenten's chest. "I'm going to release it now. Relax and try to stay focused." There was a rushing sensation, felt by both of them as he withdrew his chakra from her.

Then she felt lightheaded. "I was fine till you did that." The excess energy was gone, the pleasant sensation was gone, and on top of all of it she felt a bit more exhausted. "You should have just let your chakra dissipate naturally." She told him when her vision got fuzzy as her body tried to readjust to only her chakra being present.

He grabbed her, steadying the swaying body. "You were on the verge of passing out. He laid her down, quickly getting rid of the wards so they could go back upstairs and to bed. It would be unreasonable to expect more of her that night.

"I was spacing out, not passing out." She felt dizzy now though, oh she sure as hell felt dizzy. "I feel like hell now though."

He stopped a moment, laying a hand on her chest again. He let a little bit of his chakra trickle inside, enough to help her. "Better?" He lifted her and carried her up the stairs.

She nodded in response. "Yeah, like I said let it dissipate normally, you didn't bind a lot in me after all, it'd run its course in a day. I could keep it suppressed and hidden easily enough."

"Forgive me, it looked like you were overwhelmed." He pushed the cat out of the way with his foot, and gently set Tenten down on the mattress.

"It-It's fine." She told him. He didn't have to carry her she wanted to say, and he didn't have to get so worried. She was still slightly embarrassed by the fact that she had to remove so much clothing, and she was still slightly bothered that Neji had seen a picture of her, that her mother took for no good reason, as a teen in her panties! What kind of mother did that anyway? She was still having a hard time looking at him.

"You're always fine." He went to the bathroom, coming back with a warm, wet cloth. "Here, go ahead and clean your chest. I'm going to feed the cat."

Tenten cleaned up while Neji took care of the cat, she grabbed her pajamas and pulled them on before lying back on the bed. She grabbed a pillow and hugged it feeling his chakra start to spread through her body before slighting fading, with the seal removed that bound the slight remnants in place.

Once done doing a quick look over of the house and checking on the cat, Neji returned and changed. "Better?" He asked, placing a hand on her chest to quickly check her system again.

"Yeah I'll be ok." It still made her cheeks a bit pink when he put his hand right at that particular location. Now it was a far cry from being groped or even remotely felt up, but it didn't keep an active young adult mind from wandering.

He nodded, getting into bed. Making sure she was properly tucked in, he pulled the blankets over his own form. "You should be fine with a bit of sleep and rest."

It was tempting, so very tempting, maybe too tempting to comment. "You really had to put your hand on my chest to tell that?" She chuckled quietly and smirked. "Ino's gonna love that, she'll call it the perfect excuse to feel someone up."

Neji snorted. "Trust me Tenten, you would know if I were feeling you up." He turned onto his side to look at her as he so often found himself doing when they would spark up a random discussion in bed.

She quirked a brow and glanced at him out of the corner of her eye. "Would I now?"

"Perhaps… Perhaps not. How does that one song go? The one that Kiba sings about being a ninja? 'I could remove your bra and you wouldn't even know it?'" He quoted vaguely.

"Oh you think you could do that without my noticing?" She also turned on her side and smirked at him. "I doubt it."

"Would you like me to try it?" He raised an eyebrow, giving her both a curious and slightly amused look.

"You'd never get my bindings off without my noticing." She mirrored his strange look. "Why do you want to try? Ino will have a field day, I mean she made me buy bras for that exact purpose. Trust me, she'll be thrilled."

"I was simply going to say, I can not remove your bra if you do not wear one. Even I have my limits." He pointed out. "Ino was planning on it?"

Tenten nodded solemnly. "Lace, she wanted leather, I said no, satin, cotton you name it, she bought it. She said at least one of them was bound to be your kink." She shrugged and laughed quietly. "Why do you think I haven't really worn them? It's just..." She trailed off.

"You're a ninja who binds your chest and once told me that bras were, and I quote 'completely useless, girly, and dumbass.' I have my doubts. You either wear you binds, or nothing. You only drag a bra out when undercover missions require it."

"It's just pointless, more or less." She said lightly. She jerked her head over her shoulder. "Really, what's the point of all that. I get it, house wives wear cute undergarments for their husbands. I get that, but first off, we're not really married. Second, we're not even romantically involved." They were just best friends on a very awkward mission, just friends. "Just...friends."

"You say that like it's a bad thing." Neji rolled onto his back, pushing Ryuu off his pillow. "And what were you expecting from Ino? Two single ninja who have been teammates for years being sent on a mission under the identity of a newlywed couple to uncover government secrets? It's probably a plot from one of her tacky romance novels.

"Naruto wrote the back-story, Sasuke probably had a girls night with Ino and Sakura." She muttered. She hated teasing Sasuke about being girly, but when he was the only one who complained that he was out of hair gel on a mission, it was hard to not crack a joke or two. Even Shino, with a sheer lack of sense of humor, admitted that it was amusing.

"He can't stand their babble anymore than you can." While Sasuke was prissy and had many girly characteristics, he was not quite as bad as Tenten made him out to be. "Until he starts to complain about broken nails and bags under his eyes, I think it's safe to assume he runs in terror from Ino and Sakura's girl's night like any other sane man."

"I never said he was sane, Neji." She recounted at least one time that she had been forced to endure girls night that Sasuke had been there. "Because Ino was buying dinner, no one skips out on Ino buying. Especially when Sakura decides where we go..." She smiled. "If I go to dinner, I'm not obligated to stay for the movies. If you don't show for dinner, you have to deal with the movies." She chuckled and leaned into her pillow. "Why do you think Sasuke always keeps Wednesdays open?" Her hair fell across her face, barely concealing the wicked smirk.

He shook his head. "You do realize that mental image is going to haunt my dreams." He openly grimaced. That was not something he needed to know about for any reason. "He willingly goes to them?" He asked incredulously. It didn't make sense to him, not at all.

"Dinner and clubbing, or a night at Ino's watching girly movies. Dinner and dancing is the lesser of two evils." She said serenely watching Neji's expression. "I always take dinner and dancing. I'm better at dancing than sitting through those movies."

"So it that where you learned about that god awful move?" He asked immediately shifting his attention. Anything to get the image of girly, dancing Sasuke out of his mind. "Something that awful had to come from Ino and Sakura." Why was the girly, dancing Sasuke in his mind wearing a girl's tank top? He shook his head as though it could dislodged the image.

"Borrowed it from Ino." She smiled. "Neji, stop thinking about Sasuke dancing. He doesn't dance, he death glares the walls. Ino dances with whatever moves, Sakura gets really shy. I own the dance floor. End of story." She smirked.

"What makes you think I'm imagining Sasuke dancing?" It was glittering now in his mind, and glared at him when he tried to force it away.

"You look disturbed." She said quietly, snuggling more deeply into her pillow. "It's in your eyes."

"I wasn't aware you were a mind reader." He turned his eyes away from the Sasuke dancer in his mind, finding focus on the Tenten dancer that had popped up. That was much more enjoyable to watch.

"I'm not a mind reader." She answered, she then pointed out she was just better at reading him. "I've got years of experience. Your eyes looked like that time that Lee said he had accidently bleached his clothes, and they were more a bright yellow."

"Don't remind me. It was like being attacked by a giant canary." That kicked the dancing Tenten out of his mind. "I'm going to sleep before you put any other strange images in my mind."

"One last strange one." She smirked. "You remember when I dragged you to that club, well I was dancing pretty...uh...tamely." Her smirk remained on her face when she closed her eyes. "You didn't let us stay long enough for me to really get into it."

"Tamely?" He shook his head. He wasn't going there, he forbade his mind from coming up with any more images. "Never mind. Good night Tenten." he turned away from her, closing his eyes

Tenten pouted slightly and cuddled her pillow. Ryuu curled up in-between hers and Neji's and began purring quietly. "Good night." She said quietly, thinking back on taijutsu with him, and looking forward to a night when he just wanted to spar again.

It felt like weeks had passed when it had only been days, exhaustion had started to wear on everyone, and at last the Raikage's advisors insisted that he, Nobaru, and Haru take a few days off. Taiki didn't like it, he hated it even. Trudging through the newly piled snow of the village did not make him feel anymore rested than sleeping in the shelters. Letting others do his job did not make him feel any better about the situation. On top of his frustrations, Haru was not at home. He knocked on the nearest door a few times.

Nobaru groaned, opening his eyes. Who was knocking on his door at... He looked at the clock…Two in the afternoon? Maybe he had over slept a bit. Dragging himself out of bed, he threw on a pair of pants, careful not to wake Haru. "I'm coming. Lousy neighbors." He muttered, opening the door to his house. "Mm. Got forced time off too Taiki?"

"Something like that." He answered. "It's almost the middle of the day why are you still...no never mind, I don't want to know. Do you know where Haru is?" He sighed. "I've already been to his place and he's not there." He had a bad feeling he knew exactly where Haru was.

"Yep, sleeping in my bed." He grinned, leaning against the doorway. "Feel like joining us?" He held the door open, inviting him in, even though he knew that Taiki would turn down the offer.

"No." Taiki sighed. "I needed to ask him a few things is all. He is the genjutsu specialist, I needed to know if he felt anything strange lately. I know you've been hitting dead ends too."

"Be my guest. Just don't yell at me when he bites you for waking him up." Haru was not a morning person. "I ran my ass off through the village for questioning, and the weirdest thing I felt was Tsubasa's new home security system."

"It's pretty impressive, rather strong too. I can't blame him though, I upped my own." He stepped inside and pulled the door shut behind him. "Most of my team has as well, I'm trying to convince Karou for the safety of her husband, to update their system as well." Kentaro had insisted though that his security was top notch, even though it was only a few tags well hidden outside his home.

"Tell Haru. Karou mothers him so much if he suggests it, Kentaro won't have a choice against the two of them." He flopped onto the couch, stretching out with a yawn. "Try stopping by Tsubasa's again, and see if you can pick anything strange up." It had probably been exhaustion setting in, but he swore he had felt faint traces of Haru's chakra there. Haru said he had never been in the house, and the second time he went back, Amaya had told him horrid tales of heterosexual baby making that made his penis shrivel a little.

"Alright...why aren't you going though?" Taiki asked quietly. Haru was nasty when you woke him up. They had been on a few missions together, and if Haru didn't get his set amount of sleep, there was hell to pay.

"I tried, but the she-harpy told me horror stories that made me want to vomit." He shuddered. He didn't care how wet Tsubasa made her. He liked asses. Those weren't self lubricating!

Taiki snickered. "She made you run."

"She spoke of the horrendous, gaping cavern between her legs. Of course I ran."

"You know," Taiki said between chuckles, "it's a good thing you never became a medic."

"Bah, I can handle things like that in the medical sense. It's no different than any other open wound. It's when she talks about him up...there... that I get squeamish."

"What did she say 'exactly' because I somehow imagine your imagination has gotten the better of you?"

"I'm not repeating what she said. I don't approve of such vulgar things being spoken in my house." He stretched. "But when I was there, it might have been the fatigue, but I swear I felt wisps of Haru's chakra in there."

Taiki rolled his eyes. "Haru's chakra?" He quirked a brow. "Haru's chakra is just about everywhere in this village when he's mad. Even the academy reported feeling it, caused two of the kids to pass out."

"It wasn't angry chakra." Haru's angry chakra had a subtle difference that Nobaru had learned to pick up early on. "It was just, I dunno whispers. It might be nothing, I'll admit to that; but I want someone to check it out again. Even with everyone saying that Tsubasa and the she-harpy are not spies; they are new to the village and should be taken special care of."

"Whatever, I'll look into it. I need to talk with him later anyway. There was an incident last night, and we need him to keep an eye on the kid, make sure they're ok." Taiki sighed, children should never suffer the loss of a parent, especially when the child only had one left. "We have another orphan on our hands, one of the other families has agreed to take care of the kid but." He shook his head lightly. "She's got family still, an aunt and uncle, but her mom was so close to her. I want Tsubasa to make sure she gets home safe for the next few weeks. This isn't the best weather or village to be in as a child." There were at least twenty cases, when he had been a child that children had lost their parents. "You remember that kid in your class?"

One boy had simply stayed out in the storms after his mother died; he got sick, too sick for the medics to save. Others stayed out in the winter, and were found dead the next day from severe cold. Nobaru shrugged. "Kids have instincts too. If they lose their will to live, they'll find a way to join their parents one way or another." Taiki had that depressed look in his eyes like he always did when he thought back on unhappy memories. Reaching up, he grabbed him by the arm and pulled him down to lay on top of him. "Was the kid's mom a researcher, ninja, or civilian?"

"Jounin, she was killed outside of the shelters during shift changes." Taiki answered.

"Wrong place at the wrong time, or another random kill do you think?" The murder rate on the civilians had gone down; most stayed home in such awful weather. Thus, there was an increase in the amount of random ninja being offed.

"Wrong place, wrong time again. She replaced Yumiko, whose husband is deep in the genjutsu research program. Yumiko has security clearance for the labs, she was sent to work for me for a bit because of a broken arm. It was assumed she'd be safer working the shelters."

"Whoever it was then, either didn't have the information that Yumiko had been temporarily transferred, or didn't care and just went for the kill." He sighed, nuzzling Taiki's hair. "Isn't this supposed to be your day off?"

Taiki lightly shoved Nobaru away. "Yes, but no one's told the child yet, she spends the nights at a friend's when her mother is scheduled to work. Her mother was scheduled to work another night, so no one's told her yet. After I got information from Haru about Yumiko's husband and why he's likely a prime target, I was planning to inform Tsubasa about the child." He sighed and looked down. "I'd rather he or I tell the child, than the Raikage's advisors or a random jounin. You know how impersonal it is."

"You gotta stop emoting on these kids Taiki. It'll tear you up. I know you sympathize with the kids, but you can't protect all of them." Nobaru frowned, storing away the information about Yukimo and her husband.

"No child should be informed the way I was. They're children, we're the ones supposed to be looking out for them, ensuring their future. The least we can do is avoid sending people who don't know or don't care much about what happened."

"Still, you can't do it all yourself. You'll regret it one day." He sighed. Getting to his feet, he brought Taiki with him bridal style, and started to carry him to the bedroom.

Taiki shoved himself free. "I don't need you carrying me, just pass on the information to Haru, have him tell me about what he knows later." Taiki turned and headed for the door. "Besides they'll be sending you out looking for him not me, I suppose the information will come in more handy to you."

"Not even in the mood for a snuggle Taiki?" He watched the other leave. "I'll pass on the information. Just keep an eye out at the she-harpy's house. Something doesn't feel right there."

"Just make sure he gets back to me with what he knows, and have him get in touch with his friend's in ANBU, I want them to up the security at Yumiko's home, but I don't have the authority to call that in apparently."

"Got'cha. Good luck with your kids." He yawned and went back to the bedroom. Maybe he could talk Haru into another go before they all cut their time off short.

Haru wasn't asleep when Nobaru returned to the room. "So what was all that about?" He pushed his messy hair out of his face, he'd need to re-dye his bangs in a week or two, the damned roots were starting to show again.

"Another hit. Mistaken identity this time. Killed someone taking Yumiko's place. Her husband's in deep with the genjutsu stuff. Taiki wants you to have your ANBU stop in and watch over Yumiko for a while." he laid on the bed, pushing Haru's hair back. "Your roots are showing."

"Yeah I noticed." Haru muttered. "So another dead. Brings the death toll to what, thirty now?" He rubbed his eyes lightly. They had been bothering him a lot more now that he was getting closer to the final stages of his 'enhancement'.

"Thirty two." Nobaru watched Haru. "Gotta be careful with those. I hear Uchiha have a habit of going blind if they use it too much." He was a bit sketchy on the details, with how tight lipped the Uchiha had been when they were alive.

"They said it's not working as they intended. They need more they said." Haru's amber colored eyes were bloodshot despite having slept all night. "They're hoping to do the second transplant later this month." His left eye had already accepted the sharingan. It was a breakthrough for the genjutsu project. They had succeeded. They had recreated the Sharingan from base DNA and implanted it in a new subject.

Nobaru frowned, pushing back his hair and examining them. "Maybe you should rest your eyes for a bit. I happen to know the perfect activity where you can do that." He grinned, though he was worried. When he had found out that Haru was being modified for Uchiha DNA, he hit up all his sources for information on the sharingan; which was sparse to say the least.

"Well they said at least, my eye color won't fade. They said they modified the sharingan to be less detectable. So my eyes won't wind up becoming dark at least." He fell back against the bed and closed his eyes. "What about you, they didn't say how the ninjutsu program was advancing; just that the genjutsu program was making leaps and bounds."

"Slow and steady, they're making progress on a good schedule. Nothing too notable really." Ninjutsu had been done already, even before the projects started, the village worked hard to come up with stronger, better techniques. "Everyone's responding well to the procedures. They think they've finally figured out the secret to it."

"Yeah, don't mess with medical ninjutsu, unless you specialize in it, don't force people with low chakra from excessive testing to keep working. Big secret." Haru muttered. "They're having serious issues, one of the research teams. They're getting the heat because they can't duplicate the byakugan with the DNA we have."

"We barely have any Hyuuga DNA. What do those higher ups think? If they want better results, they have to get us better samples."

"Yeah and from what a few researchers have found out, the DNA we have won't do em any good. The sample we have is from one of the branch family who died. Apparently their main family curses the branch family, makes it so their byakugan seals away the moment they die. Overall, rendering it useless. Good to know huh? That cranky old man was furious."

"What we need is a living Hyuuga. That way we could take our sample, do some research, kill em and no one'd be any the wiser." He lay on his side, running his hand through Haru's hair. "Oh, and I suggested to Taiki that you stop by Karou's and up her security. Her husband's on the hot list with the others."

"Yeah I can talk to her." Haru nodded. "Her husband's big time on the list of primary targets, poor bastard is in Taijutsu enhancement. You'd think he'd listen to Taiki." After Taiki's last enhancement, one would think it was foolish to mess with him. His accuracy with taijutsu had skyrocketed, and his medical ninjutsu had clearly been dramatically enhanced. He recovered at an accelerated rate with less chakra than previously required, he was far more physically destructive and had even taken on a rare trait. "You see what he did to those training dummies? Splintered them down to nothing. Three light hits, bursts of chakra released in each hit. Man if they ever got the byakugan down, and gave it to him, he'd damn well be a Hyuuga. He fights like them instinctually I swear." Taiki had always been that way, for as long as Haru could remember he would channel chakra into his hands or weapons and use it to very accurately damage nerves or muscles. With the eyes of the Hyuuga, he would be just as lethal as them.

"Mmm… but then it'd ruin his pretty eyes." The byakugan was not the same as the sharingan. The pale color masked the pupil almost completely, and when chakra was strongly focused in those eyes, it helped with the ability to see the chakra points they were hitting, they could see through things, past things and it certain gave the Hyuuga a more intimidating appearance. "Otherwise, he'd be the perfect candidate. The taijutsu department will throw a fit though. Their star going to the hands of the ninjutsu team…"

"I wouldn't mess with him if they ever got it done." Haru rubbed at his eyes again. "Most of them have no issue seeing through genjutsu, because they'll just pinpoint the chakra source. Hyuuga...freaking trouble all of them. I get why the country doesn't like em much, but why mess with something so far out of your league?"

"Maybe they'll go the way of the Uchiha. They have a genius kid as one of the close branch members. Maybe he'll go insane and kill them all." Logic took effect in Nobaru's mind. The curse seal would hamper that if the rumors were true.

"Psh, I don't think this country is lucky enough for that." Haru laughed darkly. "Ah well, I feel bad for Taiki, delivering more bad news."

"He's thinking about making Tsubasa do it. It'd be better with him being her teacher."

"Ugh, poor bastard. I feel bad for him now." Haru pulled a pillow over his head and kept his eyes closed. "I feel bad for the kid; we shoulda had this bastard a long time ago."

Nobaru shrugged. "It's part of the life style." He was pissed as well. Whoever he was, the guy wasn't leaving behind any hints for them to follow, no leads. Nothing.

"We'll get him." Haru said confidently. "Even masters mess up eventually."

"We just need to give it some time." Nobaru agreed lowly. "When do you plan on seeing Karou?"

"I'll see her later today, after I stop at the market. No food in my house, not even instant ramen."

"You haven't set foot in your house in over a week." Nobaru pointed out, finally getting back under the covers.

"Yeah, place is probably starting to look abandoned." Haru muttered. It was fine, he needed a break, and the last time he had been at home he had been unable to shake the feeling that something was going seriously wrong. "Last time I was home I felt like the floors were falling apart, they said it was my genjutsu acting of its own accord. They assure me, it's temporary, and it will pass."

"And they're letting you run around like this? Aren't they even a bit worried you might lose your mind out there?"

"They have a pair of ANBU keeping track of me." He answered.

He grinned. "Even now?" He wondered if half of the ANBU out there were voyeurs.

"Nah, they're just supposed to monitor my chakra, look for irregularities and subdue me if I start losing it." He lifted the pillow away and glanced out the window. It had to be mid afternoon at least.

"It's around three. If you plan on getting anything done, you should get going. However, if you wanna leave things until tommorrow..." Nobaru wiggled his eyebrows suggestively albeit a bit comically.

"Nah, you know Karou, you'd hate it if anything happened to her. She's like a sister. A better security system is for her safety as much as her husband's." Karou was like everyone's family. She was especially close to Taiki, Nobaru, and himself. She had always insisted the three need a little extra care, and since she only treated Nobaru like a brother, he never flinched even when she hugged him or brought him food.

"Mm-hmm." Karou was the only woman Nobaru could admit he enjoyed the company of after Haru's sister had passed. "Go on. You know where to find me when you can't resist anymore." He gave him a quick look over though, making sure his chakra systems were stable. He was not be a medic but he made sure to know the basics of everything.

"Yeah, yeah." Haru grabbed his clothes and pulled them on before tossing a bored glance at the mirror in the room. "God...I really gotta dye the damn bangs. You didn't say they were that bad." He waved over his shoulder before leaving, off to inform a family that their home security was lax, and chat up a housewife who would take his side over her husband's just because she'd known him longer.

Neji's class was bombarding him with questions about the current focus of their studies. "So what exactly do you do if you just can't do certain types of jutsu?" One of the girls asked who was still desperately trying to get basic substitution down. One of the boys was having even less luck, though he did manage to turn himself into a little old man.

"You keep trying different approaches and theories to see if one can work where the others have failed. If not, then you find a way to work around it. Part of being a ninja is adapting."

"Or you could give up." One of the boys answered, cool, confident arrogance radiating from him. He and his typical partner were still top of the class, and still driving their fellow classmates mad with envy.

He caused more fights in the class than anyone, purely by attitude, Neji's assistant noted as one of the girls hurried to answer. "Oh yeah, shut it Ren or I'll send you home with a bloody nose!"

"Here we go again." Neji muttered.

"If you could hit him." Ren's partner muttered at his side, only stirring up matters further, while continuing to practice her nearly flawless substitutions.

Neji sighed, annoyed with the situation on whole. The two needed to be taken down a notch. "Do you two feel that these lessons are below you?" He asked, frowning. Extra homework was no punishment for these two, so he would have to find other means.

"We're sick of being harassed by them on the way home because we actually pass our tests and bother to pay attention." Aya answered crossing her arms. "It's a bit annoying being stalked place to place by them. They never leave us alone."

One of the other girls said that she was just mad that she didn't get alone time with her boyfriend, which made Ren narrow his eyes. The class was getting volatile. Neji's assistant sighed. "You know, we could have the pair of them put in the class above them, but I'm sure it wouldn't stop the harassment by their peers. It's true; certain students have taken to stalking them all over the place."

"They're just mad we catch them trying to cheat off our work." Ren added. He refused adamantly, to be punished for the stupidity of his classmates.

Perhaps if they did not gloat so much about their talents, this wouldn't be happening. If only there was a way... He smirked. The class knew that smirk. "All right then, Ren and Aya, come to the front of the room. Everyone else, I want to divide into two groups; boys and girls." This wasn't the best team building experience; but it would get the competitive spirit fired up.

The kids, very reluctantly did as they were told, as most were still divided on who was better for their sensei or his wife. Students occasionally shot the person next to them dirty glances while they divided up until their assistant instructor shot them all a warning look.

"All right. We're going to do a little project. Starting now and until I decide otherwise, you will be working in teams; one against the other. Aya will head the girls, and Ren will lead the boys. Everything; homework, tests, practice will relay on the team's average. That means, if for example; the average grade for the boy's test is failing, all the boys will fail, including you Ren; even if you have a perfect score."

Most of the class snickered at the information while Ren and Aya looked mortified. Aya was the first to voice her concerns. "The class will drag us down on purpose, even if we work our hardest to help them pass, thus passing us, they'll sabotage it. Why should we be punished because they just don't like that we're not obsessed with marrying you or your wife?"

Ren nodded silently.

"Punish attempts at sabotage. We're not fool enough to not notice when they're doing that." Neji's assistant answered. "If the group attempts to purposely fail, to cause Aya or Ren trouble, I'll see to it that all of you spend an additional two years before you're even qualified to test as Genin, Aya and Ren excluded from that punishment, since you all seem to have it out for your classmates."

The whispers stopped, and multiple students stared at their instructor and assistant instructor.

"You can't hold us back for sabotage." One of the boys countered. "I'm not stupid enough to fall for that, just because half the class is. A good ninja should be able to work around sabotage." And then the yelling started. It started with people calling each other stupid while a few kids death glared their peers. Then it escalated to physical threats.

"I miss the days when they all just listened to their teachers and their threats." Neji's assistant muttered.

"I wasn't this disruptive when I was there age. How about your class? I think we're cursed with some strange anomaly." Neji rubbed his temples, feeling a headache starting.

"Yeah mine was pretty well behaved." A few minutes later there was a light knock on the door followed by Taiki poking his head in and swiftly catching the kunai that almost hit him.

"Sorry to uh...interrupt, Tsubasa, I need to speak with you if your class won't murder each other from me pulling you away for a few minutes."

"I think they can handle themselves for a few minutes." His tone made it clear that any bloodshed would have severe consequences. Stepping outside the classroom, Neji closed the door. "What brings you here Taiki?"

"There was a murder again last night, I know normally we wouldn't inform you but it concerns one of the students." He said quietly. "Her mother was scheduled for a three day work shift; she usually stays with her aunt or a friend when her mother is working. I didn't want a random jounin showing up at her door in two days to tell her."

Neji nodded, remembering how it happened when he was a child. His classmate would be pulled from the class, and sent home crying if there was no one else to break the news. "Whose mother died?"

"Aya Sakamoto." Taiki sighed.

Neji cursed under his breath, running a hand through his hair. "Damn... I'll break the news to her. She's staying with her aunt Eiko, correct? I'll take her home."

Taiki nodded. "If you'd rather I tell her, I could. Unfortunately I'm getting used to breaking news like this to people. First time in a long time I've had to tell a child though."

"I'll be there with you." Neji had no experience with breaking bad news or comforting a child. He was thankful for the offer, and took it.

"Call her out here if you could, I'd rather her not be told that in front of her classmates." Taiki knew exactly what the kids would do though. When students were called out for private discussions the entire class would cluster next to the door to listen. One way or another they would find out.

"I have a better idea." Gesturing for Taiki to enter the room with him. "Since you all seem to have so much pent up energy, everyone to the gymnasium. I want fifty laps from everyone. Anyone who talks back has to do an extra five laps. Understood?"

Most of the kids suppressed their annoyance and did as they were told. Others rolled their eyes or glared silently at each other, but all confirmed that they understood and began to file out of the room.

"Aya, stay behind. There's something I need to discuss with you... Ren keep going. This doesn't concern you." Neji said when he saw Ren trying to stay behind and stay with Aya.

"Close friends I take it?" Taiki asked quietly watching the boy very reluctantly leave the room.

"One day they'll probably be married and producing the village's next super genius babies." He muttered back as Aya came to stand before them.

Taiki bit the inside of his lip when the girl's eyes shifted nervously between her teacher and himself. "Aya," he said quietly, kneeling down to get a better look at the girl. "I'm sorry to have to be the one to tell you this, but your mother died last night." He watched the girl's eyes widen and her quickly shake her head. He held out a headband to the girl. "I think she would have wanted you to have this." He stood slowly and watched the child's eyes fill with tears, though she remained resolutely silent. Children affected everyone, even the best; no one wanted to be the bearer of bad news to a child.

Neji frowned. It wasn't happy work for anyone involved. One of the cloud ninja down was one less for him and Tenten to worry about, but it didn't make him feel better, not when faced with a child. "Come on Aya, I'll take you to your aunt's house. You don't need to worry about schoolwork for a while." He held out his hand, offering what little comfort he could.

"I'll take her, I know Eiko well." She was on the way to where Taiki had to go next anyway. The worst of all places to go on a supposed 'day off' had to be the morgue. They were going to be investigating the death thoroughly, and heightening security all around. At least, he thought, the girl's mother had died what looked like an almost oblivious death. There were no signs of a struggle; the killing blow was clean and accurate. She didn't suffer, according to the report. "I doubt your class will be long running their laps."

"Thank you Taiki." He didn't know how to handle the situation at all. He knew the pain and anger the young girl was probably feeling, but he had no idea how to comfort her. No one had comforted him when he was a child after all. "If you need anything Aya, let me know. I'll do the best I can to help you."

The girl nodded while her things were gathered. She seemed more stunned into silence and was doing her best to not cry aloud, though she did have tears in her eyes. Taiki escorted her out and watched the girl silently walk ahead of him, the child's response frighteningly similar to his own as a child.

Neji sighed and sat in his chair, feeling more than a bit useless. This wasn't his village, and getting attached to the children was not a good thing to do. However, despite reason and awareness of the situation he couldn't help but feel bad. It was sad for a child to lose a loved one, no matter what nation they were allied with. The kids didn't stay gone long, few by few they returned to the room, each noting in due course that Aya was not among them. A few noted, that their teacher seemed somewhat down, not too noticeably though, because within a few minutes the whispers of speculation about where Aya was died down and the class was put back to work for the few remaining hours of the day.

After work, Neji returned as always, to the house he shared with Tenten, trying to push the events out of his mind. "I'm home." He called into the house, catching the kitten before it darted out into the snow.

Tenten was on the couch, finishing folding the last of the laundry. "Yeah I see that." She noticed the small feline bolted for the door the moment it opened. She set the last of the folded clothes in a perfectly neat stack and looked toward the door. Neji didn't sound himself. "You ok?" She asked when he set the cat down on the floor.

"Aya's mother died. I helped Taiki deliver the news." He explained, dusting the snow off his shoulders.

She stared at him for a few minutes, stunned by the news. A child had lost one of their parents. It wasn't right to care or feel bad, she knew it. Their work would leave many families short a parent, or both. Feeling sad for a child, feeling bad for the country they were working against was no way to be. Still her eyes betrayed how she really felt. "The poor kid...she's Eiko's niece. She doesn't have anyone else except her aunt, uncle, and cousins does she?"

He shook his head. "No father or siblings. At least she has family to take care of her." Many didn't have even that much.

"Do you think she'll be ok?" She asked, despite telling herself that she shouldn't care either way. Caring too much about a village one was out to sabotage was not in her best interest.

"We shouldn't show too much sympathy Tenten. It's part of being a ninja, leaving loved ones behind. We'll probably leave more without family before we leave this village."

"I know." She said quietly, though she agreed, they shouldn't feel or show much sympathy, she could tell he was affected by it too. Perhaps it hit a bit too close to home. A child with their closest family taken from them, left in the care of only that parent's sibling and their cousins... "It's bothering you though."

He sighed. "The death of someone close to a child is never pleasant, especially when you have to help deliver the news. I'm trying to distance myself from it." The last thing they needed was for Aya to look to him for support. It would hurt her badly when he left.

"She has close friends right?" Ryuu resumed his spot on the couch beside her after being held back from his attempt to pounce the laundry.

"Ren. She's one of the pair I told you about." He was sure Ren would help Aya through the worst of it.

"The ones with the chakra like ours." She said softly. "I see." Again she held Ryuu back from his attempts on the stack of laundry. "Eiko is nice, a bit perverse, but she's nice, she'll take good care of her, I remember she mentioned that Aya stays with her when her mother worked."

"Aya will be staying with her a long time." He picked up the kitten and carried it to the kitchen to feed. "What do you want for dinner?" He wasn't going to keep thinking about it.

"Doesn't matter, anything's fine." She told him, lost in her own thoughts. It was a sad situation, worse to think that they personally would be the cause of more cases just like it. It was something she never liked about long missions. Assassinations were quick, fast, you never got the time to get to know who your victims might be, and it was work and nothing more. Their mission broke all the rules of standardized assassination.

No contact, no connections, no feelings, no problem.

"Don't think about it Tenten." Neji called from the kitchen, beginning the meal. "Lingering on it will only make you feel worse than you do." _This isn't her usual work; it's easier for her to become attached. She's accustomed to going in, doing the job and leaving._ He focused on preparing the meal while reminding himself over and over that this was not her normal line of work.

"I know." She answered leaning back in her seat. It was hard to not think about it though, and surely he wasn't ignoring it even with his best efforts, especially since he told her not to think about it.

"Did anything interesting happen to you today?" He asked, trying to change the subject and distract them both.

"Nothing really, just word that there's a storm moving in." They'd be expecting extremely heavy snow and whiteouts again, as assured by Taiki, very typical winter weather.

"Floods in the fall, blizzards in the winter, spring will probably bring tornadoes at this rate." He muttered, shaking his head.

"It'd be interesting huh?" She said quietly, but she assured him that no, all they had to look forward to in spring was heavy rainstorms, melting snow, and high winds. "Apparently at least once a week though it's sunny."

"I think I'm actually going to miss Konoha's suffocating heat waves." Neji dropped a small piece of meat into the cats bowl, barely a scrap.

"You can look outside right now, and say you don't miss them yet?" She asked before getting to her feet and going about making tea and setting the table.

"The heat and sun, yes, I miss those. Those heat waves that hit us mid July? I've yet to miss those." Neji hated extreme temperatures in general, especially the cold.

"And the negative temperatures here don't bother you half as much." She joked while preparing their tea.

"Both bother me Tenten. I am simply choosing the lesser of two evils; like choosing between going shopping with Ino and Sakura. Both are hell incarnate on earth; Ino is just slightly worse than Sakura because she doesn't pretend she's not a depraved pervert."

"Yeah and between the two, Sakura's a bit worse when she finally ditches the innocent act." Tenten muttered. She had some good news, on a day that seemed to be riddled with bad news though. "I found a solution to the 'time and effort' argument of placing seals directly onto my skin you know." She smirked. A day fully alone at home did wonders for creativity.

"I have the extreme pleasure of never knowing that part of her." Neji pointed out, checking to see if the rice was done. "And what was the solution you found?" He raised an eyebrow. They had been trying to figure it out through trial and error for several days, and only seemed to learn what didn't work.

"It didn't cross my mind till this morning while I was cleaning." Ryuu had gotten into the dustpan and transferred little paw prints all over the kitchen floor that she'd had to clean up a second time before wiping his paws off. "I used tags like this once on an assassination, it's a tag that bears the seal on it, which as you said, makes it easier to fine tune, you place it against the target, release a set amount of chakra, and it transfers onto the skin, like a brand." A lot less painful she stated though, it felt more like a slight burst of static.

She added that it was usually used for paralyzing targets so they couldn't fight back.

"That could work." He paused in stirring the food to ponder this. It was true that it would work with the transfer; winning the argument over the paper seal's accuracy. "All we would need to do is find the most proper chakra points and the amount of chakra placed within them." It would cut the work in half if the transfer process went smoothly.

"Which we would have to do anyway, regardless of what method we used." She nodded. It allowed her maximum comfort and control of the chakra, it allowed the accuracy of a paper seal, and it allowed them to alter it as needed without the risk of injury or weakness.

"We'll try it. I see no reason why it wouldn't work." Neji took the skillet off the stove and started to fix the plates. "Will you set the table Tenten?"

"Already done. Tea's made too." She smiled.

"Good." He lifted the two plates of food, setting it on the dining room table, pushing the cat out of the way. "Your food is in the kitchen." He used the chakra command, but the kitten still pawed at his pants. "Tenten, your little monster isn't listening to me."

"Because he wants you to pet him." She picked up the cat and scratched behind his ears. Ryuu purred pleasantly at the attention. "He's not that little anymore either."

"He's smaller than me. It's still little." Taking a seat at the table, he sighed as the kitten pawed at his leg again. "Oh for heaven's sake." He reached down and ran a hand down Ryuu's back. "I pet you, now go away."

It always prompted a smirk from her when the cat responded to Neji only after he got what he wanted. Having been pet, he curled up near the couch on the floor and pawed lightly at a little felt mouse. "I think the cat misses you more than I do during the day." She laughed.

"I don't see why it would miss me. I spend most of my time ignoring it when I am home." He ate his meal, kicking the toy mouse away when it was dropped at his feet.

"Mhm, you just don't ignore him very well." She ate her meal with a slight smile. The cat slept on Neji's pillow while he was gone in the day, and when he got home he focused all his energy on trying to get Neji to play with him. "He likes you, that's all." She sipped her tea and threw a glance outside. "And here comes the storm."

Neji didn't need to look up to hear the windows rattling. "This is supposed to be a bad one; bad enough that they might cancel school." A snow day was practically unheard of in Lightning Country; the ninja were expected to adapt to the extreme weather. "There will probably be another hit tonight. Tetsumi said that the guard was being raised and they put an extra twenty ANBU on duty."

"Good thing I went to the market earlier. Karou told me to double up on things, she said when winter storms get bad, you get snowed in for days sometimes. Most ninja help clear the walkways and keep things moving, but with the situation as it is right now, I imagine it's easier to have people fend for themselves while they use the bad weather to focus on the major threat."

He nodded. "We'll have to be more cautious right now. They may be sending random nin out during the day to check on civilians, or call me out to help." It was near being considered wartime; even if the war was internal and contained. Even though he was a teacher, he was aware that he could be called out to help with search and rescue or something similar.

"So you really think it will be as bad as everyone says?" She returned her gaze to the windows that already were coated in frost. She couldn't see much outside, except that it was starting to snow and the wind was picking up. The clouds were dark, almost as dark as they had been in the fall during the storms or in the spring when they first arrived.

"They're expecting a large quantity of snow in less than two hours. Everyone's hunkered down with enough food and toilet paper to foresee the apocalypse." Neji shrugged. "Mostly likely the worst thing that could happen to older and younger people is that a lot of people might lose electricity. The biggest worry though, is that some of the older houses might collapse under the weight of the snow in the western district; or that the hospitals generator might blow."

"All that over so little?" She glanced outside. It seemed like a little, but the snow was wet and heavy, on top of that the winds were whipping it all over the place, and as if to spite them all, the snow was already waist high in most areas, nearly chest high in some. "Eh...yeah I guess it is a bad thing more snow on top of what we already have." They were also expecting an ice storm. Dropping a foot or two of snow, with heavy wet slush that would coat everything in ice was a serious problem.

"Add in an ice storm and it makes everything all the worse. We apparently choose the worst weather they've had in years to move in during. One of the other teachers asked me if we planned on staying after the ice melted and we were free to escape."

Tenten laughed lightly into her tea cup. "Yeah tempting to run back to Konoha to rediscover what sunlight feels like."

"I told him about our summers and dry spells. He plans on taking a vacation next year when the first storm hits."

"Is he single?" She asked with a laugh. "Because if so, he's probably just hoping to see Konoha girls in their swimsuits."

"Has a girlfriend, but he did express the interest in seeing her in a swimsuit."

"Guess that's kind of a rarity here huh?" She nodded out the frosted windows. She finished her dinner and noted that it at least left her feeling quite warm.

"Not really. Most of the housewives are just lonely with their husbands at work all day."

"Most of them are a bit more than lonely." Most of their husbands worked day and night, and only were seen once every few days. The women were a bad combination of deprived and lonely.

He shrugged. "Deprived, lonely, it's same thing with different levels of physical interaction." There was more to romance then just sex; as much as many tried to argue with him. It was not the most important thing

"I can understand why they miss the interaction. I mean god, it doesn't take that long to clean a house every day." She shrugged. It took so little time in fact, that most of her day she sat around boredly waiting for him to get home.

"They don't just sit around the house all day cleaning. Some of them have to work. Aren't you dragged out on enough of their excursions to have an idea of what they do?" Some had children at least, and that was a full time job in itself.

"Only a few have young children too young for school." She said quietly. "Some of them are nice, some of them are just brats." She smirked slightly. "They all agree you're a saint to put up with them."

He didn't need to be told that a second time. He had quickly found a deep new respect for Iruka and the other teachers who had to deal with him and his classmates. Though, his students were much worse than his classmates were.

"I bet they're a lot worse than you make them out to be." She finished her tea and leaned back in her seat. Ryuu was now pawing at her leg and it didn't bother her as much as it bothered Neji.

"I believe the teachers that came before me were quite lax in their discipline. I'm stuck with re-teaching them how to act on top of being ninja."

"How cute." She smirked, reaching down to pet the cat. "How often do you get fights in class?" She remembered her class. Her class had been full of people with volatile tempers and aggression. The girls were just brats, and the boys were just competitive as hell.

"How often a day? Once or twice on a good day. Half a dozen if I'm lax or they decide they don't care how much homework they have." They were all demonic little brats, ever last one of them.

"We were never that bad. I mean we got into a few class spats, but most of them ended well." Well meaning, no one was hospitalized. When the boys went at it, they really went at it. They'd line up to pick a fight with Neji. Lee would always be ready and willing to take on the losers, despite the fact that they mocked his inability to use ninjutsu. "Lee used to send a few of them home with black eyes for teasing him."

"I remember. He excelled at taijutsu to the point where it didn't matter if he could use ninjutsu or not." Of course in those days, their classmates hadn't been the most skilled at any of the jutsu. "I don't know what they were trying to prove by defeating me though. It was as though they thought if they defeated me, they were proving themselves more skilled that me, even if I had defeated a dozen times already."

"The funny part was that, Lee wasn't all that good at taijutsu either in school." She smiled. Lee had become remarkable at taijutsu after he had been assigned to their team. "He was just so much better than them at it that it seemed like you and him were just the absolute best at it."

"He was still the superior one in the class. It didn't matter against his classmates." He finished his meal, placing his chopsticks down. "Are you finished?" He gestured to take the plate from Tenten; ignoring the cat that was this time, clearly begging for scraps.

She nodded in response and looked outside again, she was sure for a minute or two someone had passed by as quickly as possible in the high winds and rapidly falling snow. She shrugged it off as imagination, they weren't close enough to set off any of her tags and their chakra was barely detectable. Besides, who in their right mind would be out in that weather anyway?

Neji on the other hand frowned. "Did you just see something as well?" He stood up. It would have to be a highly skilled ninja to get past his wards without setting them off; one that could easily disguise his chakra to nothing.

Her eyes shifted from the window to him. "You saw it too? It wasn't all that big, I thought it was just my imagination."

Neji was already slipping on his shoes. "I'm going to go check it out. Stay here and act worried in case someone's following him." It could have been the spy that had been killing people over the last few weeks. There was good chance if it was, he would not be alone; and that he would attack without hesitation.

"You're kidding right?" She followed him to the door. If it really was the spy that had killed so many people, Neji would be forced to fight. Hell what if the guy wasn't alone?

"I'm not going to make contact unless I need to Tenten. I want to at least have an idea of what we're up against if we end up having to face him." He pulled on his jacket. "I won't be long, trust me."

She nodded. Oh she didn't like one bit that he was going out and she was staying in, but she was a civilian. No civilian would rush out into danger.

Neji cursed under his breath as he went into the wet, thick, falling snow. Of course it couldn't be a pleasant, warm day that they caught a glance of the mystery nin. He still couldn't sense the chakra, and ventured out in the direction he saw the blur dart in. Luckily he didn't have to go far until he spotted a small figure standing in the snow; far too young to be an enemy ninja assassin. "What are you doing out in this storm by yourself?" He recognized the jacket; it was one of the kids from his class.

The kid turned and sighed. "Going to check on Aya." Came the dull, mildly irritated response. It was Ren, very obviously. "She left early, my family isn't packed with active ninja, but I know well enough what it means." The boy crossed his arms and dusted the snow off his clothes. "So unless you're trying to turn me into a snow statue, I should keep going before this gets worse."

He sighed. He had expected it actually; but had hoped the boy would just be skipping school the next day rather than risk his life in this blizzard. "I'll take you to Eiko's house. I'm not letting you wander around this blizzard by yourself." His words were firm and left no room for argument. "Please tell me that at least your parents know where you are."

"Of course they know. They just don't like it." He muttered. What would they do though? "They're civilians, it's not like they can really stop me. So they usually just let me do what I want as long as it's not going to get me killed. I'd have moved faster, but I was trying to avoid setting off all your home security." He mumbled. "Yeah, Aya and I know all about it."

He smirked. "Not bad for someone of your level." If he had gotten closer, the more fine tuned traps would have been set off; even if he had masked his albeit weak chakra well. "Would you like to know what brought me after you?" He wouldn't admit that he had thought he was an enemy nin of course. The kid's ego didn't need to be swollen anymore then it was.

"I don't suppress my chakra well enough, you had a feeling I'd probably try something like this tonight, or you or your wife saw me out your window would be my guesses." He said quietly. "I doubt you thought I was the village spy after all." But he did raise a brow curiously.

"My wife spotted you. She said that the blur was small, so I wanted to make sure that no kids were out playing in the snow." He looked down at Ren, walking with him. "If you had been about 13 inches closer, you would have set off the motion detection tags." they were set up to register anything bigger than a house cat wandering through.

"I know, Aya likes those ones." He smirked. "She almost set off one of your tags that bind chakra though when she was pointing it out." The pair had come to an agreement that their sensei had some of the best defenses around his house out of anyone in the village. "Most of the jounin don't have half as much security. It's a good idea though, especially with someone killing people in the village. Some people aren't worried, people with nothing really in danger of being lost." He said quietly. "My family isn't concerned, my dad doesn't even really care about what happened. It's hard to stay at home when someone says your best friend's mother had it coming, that it was her fault because she chose to be a ninja."

"And he allowed you to become a ninja?" There were some people like though, though rare in a ninja village, who thought that ninja were stupid and deserved to die for choosing such a dangerous profession. He felt sympathetic towards Ren, even as he tried to distance himself.

The boy shrugged. "He likes the security of being in a large village, it's easier to survive. It's not like me to rely on others to take care of me and protect me." He said while trudging through particularly thick snow and greatly looking forward to the day they'd learn to walk across snow with ease. "If we were all like that, the village wouldn't be a safe place for anyone." He pointed a few houses ahead of them. "I can make it from here, it's right there."

"I'll stand here and monitor you if you don't want Aya to know I walked you here. There is a murderer on the loose, and active nin aren't the only ones being killed." He leaned against a half buried post, waiting for Ren to decide. Ren nodded in understanding, and continued on alone. He was greeted by an overly emotional Eiko who hugged him and pulled him into the house a few seconds later.

Once the door was securely closed and Ren was safely inside, Neji turned and headed home; sure Tenten was worrying herself over him. He imaged she would be relieved once she discovered it was just Ren going over to check up on Aya. He had originally doubted either would be in class tomorrow, whether there was school or not. He hadn't expected that though.

Tenten was pacing the living room. Pacing was not her thing, but the cat followed her every step pacing right behind her. He said he wasn't going to be long, he said he was just going to check, she could barely detect any chakra, so if it really was a ninja, they were good. He had been gone for about fifteen minutes, and she didn't like it one bit. Ryuu meowed and continued to follow her back and forth, one way then the next, until finally he sat down to the side and just watched her walk back and forth.

"I'm back." Neji called, stepping through the door and brushing the snow off with an audible curse this time. He had spent fifteen minutes walking and standing in the wet mess and was already soaked.

"What the hell took you so long?" She went to the door and blinked. He was soaked. "You better change out of all that fast, you'll get sick again...but anyway, what took you so damn long? You said you were just going to check on it."

"I did check. It turned out to be Ren. He was on his way to Eiko's to check on Aya. I insisted on walking him there. I didn't trust him in this storm by himself." He had already stripped out of his jacket, shirt, and was unbuttoning his pants as he walked to the bathroom.

"How...nice of you." She glanced at the cat. It wasn't like Neji to walk someone through weather they were foolish enough to be out in.

"I'm not going to let an eight year old kill himself because I didn't spend ten minutes walking him. Don't look so confused Tenten."

"As long as he kept moving it wouldn't kill him...I'll make some more tea so you can warm up." She chuckled to herself and headed to the kitchen. It was strange to see Neji care enough about anyone, especially one crazy enough to be out in weather like their current weather. She was relieved though, because at least it was just a kid. A clever kid, to be avoiding so many of their defenses, she mused. "Yeah I think they'll be closing your school tomorrow. Ninja brats or not." She watched the clouds approaching the already snowy weather carefully. They were darker, more foreboding, and the wind was picking up. "Good thing you did walk the kid, and you got back just in time."

"Letting the kid die would have ended up in with more paperwork then I'm willing to deal with Tenten." He pulled off his clothing and turned on the hot water. A quick shower would warm him up well enough.

"And you like your students more than you let on." She said passing the bathroom without a glance to grab towels. He'd be pissed when he realized there weren't any. On her way back she tossed a pair into the bathroom and went back to the kitchen.

"I don't hate any of them enough to wish them death Tenten. That is not affection, but common courtesy." He replied while washing his hair, reasoning again and again that he still didn't care about the kids. He just didn't want them dead.

She shook her head lightly while she finished making the tea. He liked a lot of his students a lot more than he let on. On the few occasions he was pleased with his class's behavior there were always a few students' names that popped up, usually for impressive test answers or impressive combat resourcefulness. He liked when they were creative and worked out solutions to complicated problems, he only wished they'd be more willing to help each other or accept help.

Finishing his shower, he tugged a towel on and started to blow dry his hair. "Out demon spawn." He spat when the kitten came in and hissed at the blow-dryer; like he was protecting Neji from it. "It's just the hair dryer. It's not going to hurt you."

Tenten however bit back her laughs back while the cat continued to hiss and hop around in the hall the whole time Neji dried his hair. She couldn't willingly call the cat to the kitchen, it was too funny to hear Neji try to tell the cat it was fine while the cat decided the hairdryer was the enemy.

Neji shook his head, coming out in house pants and a long sleeved shirt. "Your cat is demented." He glared at it, contemplating brining out the hair dryer to torment it with.

"He just thinks he's taking care of you." She held out a cup of tea for him. She nodded outside to point out the increasingly worse weather approaching. "Good thing you got back when you did hm?"

Neji looked out the window and made a face. "Yes." The wind was blowing harder than before, and by the sounds of it, the freezing rain had started. "The whole city's going to be buried by tomorrow."

"Works for me." She crossed her arms and leaned back against one of the walls. "Like an extra day off would really kill you?" She glanced at him, knowing Neji certainly didn't object to another day off.

"I'll gladly welcome it." He stretched, glancing at the clock. "We still have time to at least work on drawing out the seals on paper."

"If you really want to." She shrugged. She had spent most of the day fine tuning the basic seals. "I mean, most of my day was spent making the basic seal to contain chakra, it's more or less just fine tuning." She smiled at his expression. "Yes, I did some work, yes it was clever, and yes I did it just because I was feeling like saving you time and effort."

"Then we won't have much to do to get to the next step." Neji nodded, going for the stairs. He didn't put up the wards, they weren't going much in the way of ninjutsu, and it might gather unwanted attention.

Tenten followed him downstairs and lay down on the floor. Being comfortable while working was essential, and unlike Neji she refused to sit absolutely still, in the same bloody position for three or more hours. "So more or less, we're just adding to what I've already done right?" She tossed a kunai to one of the targets on the far side of the room and waited for his answer. She looked over what she had finished and then looked up at him.

He was looking over the seals that Tenten had made with scrutiny. "Right. It looks like the basics are here fine. We'll just need to inscribe the details and infuse them with my chakra. After a few test runs and fine tuning, we'll be able to move to the next phase." It was wonderful; Tenten had surpassed what he had expected of her with her work.

"Which is?" She was playing with a kunai while lying on her back, she had to tilt her head back to see him and even then he looked funny being viewed upside-down.

"Perfecting our ability to suppress our chakra while hiding ourselves with Haru's. After that, we begin our infiltration and find the research that must be destroyed, and find who needs to be eliminated; then we eliminate both. Then the mission is complete, and we'll return to Konoha."

"It always sounds so easy when you say it like that." She told him watching the light of the room reflect off the weapon in her hand. "You make it sound too easy." She added, flicking the kunai across the room to another target.

"It is that easy." Neji said. "There will be a lot of hard work and frustrations and general moments where it will be life or death, but that in essence, that is all we need to do." he picked up Ryuu, handing him to Tenten. "Will you take the little monster upstairs?"

She nodded and got to her feet, holding the cat lightly against her shoulder while he purred loudly in her ear and rubbed against her cheek. "Ryuu, don't worry I'll play with you in a bit." She felt bad, the cat had been left to his own devices all day, he was probably very lonely. She set him down at the top of the stairs and rubbed his ears lightly. "We'll be up soon, I promise." She told the cat sliding the door shut and hoping he would just go play with a toy for a bit. The last thing she wanted was to feel guilty while he cried outside the door.

Of course that lead to pathetic sounding meows coming from outside the door, as well as a light scratching as Ryuu tried to rejoin them.

"Aw, Neji I can't just leave him..." Tenten kept throwing sympathetic glances toward the door, despite her attempts to actually completely descend the stairs.

"He'll be fine Tenten. You said it yourself, you'll play with him later." He busied himself with the tags.

"Yeah but..." She got down the last two stairs only to be stopped by another pitiful meow.

"He's a cat Tenten. Do not let him rule your life." Neji continued to scribble, trying something new on the second tag.

"I just feel bad..." She sat down slowly and watched him add to the seals. "Ok, so what are you trying to get this one to do?" She leaned closer to look over his shoulder.

"The first one will hold a majority of my chakra." He gestured to the first finished seal."That will go over your heart chakra. The one I'm writing now will help to distribute my chakra to different points of your body to help buffer and maintain a shield against Haru's chakra."

"How long will it last?" She asked watching him adjust the seal slowly.

"The ones I'm making now should last about six hours if you don't call upon more chakra then allowed." he explained, finishing his drawing and checking it over for flaws.

"Well that's good at least." She nodded. Six hours depending on how much chakra she'd need. "That's really good." She sat back and looked over some of their combined notes, that he referenced every few minutes.

He nodded. "It should be more than enough to get us through our runs." He looked over the notes again, and set brush down. "These should be the main ones. All we'll need now is to put a few focus points on your body for the chakra to converge at."

"You really don't have a backup plan if this fails do you?" She still didn't have a backup plan and she'd spent most of her days thinking about what they'd do if it didn't work.

"Not yet. This shouldn't need a backup plan if we can execute this properly." He reminded her.

She nodded. Plan B was still the same then. "So it's still, if this fails, we're screwed and our country is exposed and a war starts."

"You forget the part where we kill ourselves to protect our secrets." Neji didn't look up from the tags.

"Oh yeah, the best part, how we doing that? Explosive tags in the house, or something less flashy?" She rolled her eyes. Neji could always say things like that with a straight face and never glance up from his work. She could barely hide the fact that she almost laughed at the way he had said it.

"If we used explosive tags, we'd kill your hell cat. That might be an improvement though. I was thinking something along the lines of low level chakra bombs that could contaminate and destroy every bit of evidence they could use again us." He replied in monotone.

"Uh...Neji I was kidding." She blinked a few times and shifted so she could see him. "You're really serious though aren't you?"

"If we don't get caught, then you won't have to find out, will you Tenten?" He asked sparing her a glance that included an arched eyebrow.

"You have a really morbid sense of humor you know." She told him still giving him a strange look.

"If it's humor…" It was more entertaining then he wanted to admit, causing Tenten to make faces like that.

"You know I'm going to let the cat play with your hair while you sleep right?" Sometimes it was really hard to tell when Neji was joking or being serious, even for her. It was rare that she couldn't tell, but she was certain there was a hint of amusement in his eyes.

"If the cat played with my hair, I would wake up and stop him, you are aware?" He put the tags to the side. As far as he could tell, they were perfect. All that was needed now was a trial run.

"Not if you're sleeping deeply you won't." She mumbled.

"I heard that." Neji packed the tags away. They wouldn't be trying them out tonight. "Go on and play with the hell cat. It's still whining for attention."

"What are you going to do?" Ryuu would require at least an hour and a half of undivided attention. Neji would probably just read or sleep.

"Read for a while." He said, shrugging. There wasn't much to do in this weather by himself.

"Yeah...make sure you do that in the bedroom." She appeared thoughtful for a few minutes. "Ryuu likes to chase my feet around when uh..." Well, usually when she was cleaning, which often resulted in her playing a bit of music and...dancing. "Eh never mind, just stay in the bedroom. I need to get my daily workout anyway or I'm going to start getting out of shape."

Neji paused, looking at her. "What do you do with the cat that requires me to hide in the bedroom?" Maybe Tenten loved the cat a little more than he had originally thought.

She shrugged. "I dance and he usually hides under the couch and paws at my feet while I move." She quirked a brow at Neji's very odd expression. "Why? What were you thinking?"

"That perhaps you enjoyed reading the cat your smutty stories more then I originally thought." He shrugged, heading up the stairs and letting the kitten run past his feet to Tenten.

She picked up the cat when he got to the bottom step and held him against her shoulder. She smirked when the cat purred happily. "Good to know your mind is in the gutter."

He shook his head. "I'll be in the bedroom, reading. Let me know if the cat becomes too busy trying to kill the hairdryer to be a proper dance partner."

Tenten rolled her eyes and flopped down on the couch with the cat who crawled across her stomach and tried to climb up onto her bent knees. After succeeding he balanced there for a few minutes before hopping onto her stomach again. "Why? You gonna dance with me?" She called down the hall in a teasing manner. The cat purred and began pawing at the edge of her shirt. "I don't think he'd dare. He was embarrassed enough the first time." She told the cat quietly.

"I thought you already had a dance partner." Neji had a book in his hand and paused on his way to the bedroom, looking at Tenten oddly.

"You're the one who said to call you if the cat wasn't a proper dance partner." She smirked while stretching out, giving the cat the opportunity to crouch down and pounce at her toes. Ryuu was very easily entertained.

"There is something called sarcasm Tenten. Just because I do not use it often does not mean I am not well versed in it." He watched the kitten pretend to stalk and pounce on its prey.

"You're sarcastic all the time, I was kidding too." She laughed. "I don't think you could handle seriously dancing with me Neji. There's a reason I dance solo." The cat crawled beside her, pawed at her bangs, and was rewarded with a light scratch of the ears and a gentle rub of the back. "First time a guy really danced with me, I felt a lot more than I wanted to, and I wasn't too fond of where his hands kept moving."

"Are you implying that you believe that I am going to openly grope you and grind my aroused body against you if I dance with you?" Neji asked, leaning against the doorway.

She shrugged, with an amused smirk. She liked the mental image a lot, too much. The cat continued his prowl, hopping to the floor and sneaking up to his male owner. "Stranger things have happened. Most men aren't entirely aware of what they're doing. Now, this guy, I'm sure he knew exactly what he was doing, because the moment I sprained his wrist, he called me a bitch and moved right on to Ino." Still he had never really seen..."Still you've never really seen me dance. Oh, and tell your male students, if they're going to watch me dance while I'm cleaning and be late for class, don't be so obvious that a civilian can see them."

"I'll be sure to mention it." He nodded striding into the living room and sitting on the love seat, book in hand as he leaned back. He sat mere inches away from where Tenten would be dancing.

She quirked a brow. He wasn't going to the bedroom? That made everything infinitely more awkward. The cat hopped up next to Neji and laid down quietly.

Absentmindedly, Neji pet the cat. He didn't mind the beast so much when it was sitting quietly and not trying to attack him like an overzealous fan girl. He opened the book and began to read, seemingly ignoring Tenten for the written words.

She fidgeted. Dancing was like him doing taijutsu. It improved her flexibility, improved her physical condition, and she had never once done it with someone just sitting there. _This is going to be so weird..._

Neji perked at the sound of music, though his eyes did not leave the paper. Shifting back just a bit more, he was able to peek at Tenten out of the corner of his eye. She was moving slowly to start, body swaying in the slow rhythmic beats, stretching and twisting. He adjusted just so as the tempo of the song began to pick up, something faster and more techno. He turned the page of his book, lest Tenten think he wasn't reading as her body began to twine with imaginary figures, swaying to the beat. Her cheeks had a healthy flush to them, though he imagined that was more to her nervousness of him being so close then any physical exertion she was feeling. He stared openly when her back was turned, watching her hips shake and her shirt ride up to expose a few inches of bare flesh. A slight heat reaching his cheeks, he turned his eyes back to the book and shoved it down.

The cat chose possibly the worst time to let out an inappropriate meow, causing Tenten to laugh, falter, and glance over her shoulder. It only distracted her for a second as she continued to move in ways no female should have been able to move and when she finally stopped she laughed. "You know, Ino once cursed me to the grave for being better at dancing than her. I told her if she had stopped playing war with Sakura and focused on learning how to dance, we'd probably be evenly matched."

"I doubt that Ino would be able to dance as well as you do even with practice. You have a far better sense of poise and grace than she does." In comparison, Ino's movements were stiff, almost rehearsed at times

"So you were watching for a few minutes." She smirked and turned around to look at him. "I'm flattered that you think so though."

"I glanced." He admitted, not taking his eyes from the book now." Though I wouldn't have to watch you dance to notice that. It's obvious from every day movements and activities that you have a natural sense of balance and fluidity that Ino lacks.

"She's graceful and fluid when it comes to planning fake weddings." She said while sliding down into a split and stretching. "I mean really, she should have been a wedding planner and florist. I know she's a good ninja, but wedding planner really suits her better."

"I thought she was a part time florist." After all, Ino's family did own a flower shop. "As for the wedding planning, she knows how to throw a quick, fancy party. A real wedding would be much more complicated and stressful, especially if she wasn't allowed to get her way." He could only image the fight into would get into with the soon to be husband and wife over clashing table arrangements.

"I'd pay money to see a bride get into a cat fight with her." She bent backward and reached her arms back. "I think Ino would win, but I'm sure she'd come out of it with a black eye."

"Depending on the bride, she may come out with much more than that." He wondered what great ninja war it would be if Ino tried to plan Sakura's wedding.

"I hope she doesn't do Sakura's wedding. I'd like to go home to Konoha in once piece, not divided by a canyon." Ryuu hopped down from his location beside Neji and joined Tenten on the floor. He sat beside her, watched her stretch, and occasionally pawed at her clothes. When she finally laid back on the floor on her back Ryuu climbed back onto her stomach and sat contently. "Why do you look so pleased?" She asked the cat. "You were supposed to play not stare." She scratched the cat's ears and smiled at his very loud, pleased purrs.

"He was more comfortable lying." Neji said, skimming through the page before him. It wasn't like he had read any of the last few pages either. Not that he blamed the cat for staring. He had been too after all.

"I still miss a club setting." She said lightly scratching the cat under the chin. "It's darker, the music is so loud you can't really hear it, but you can feel it like a pulse. It wouldn't be too bad to dance with someone, but when I really get into it, I don't want to be wondering why a pair of hands are anywhere near my inner thigh." She grumbled. A nice, noisy, loud, dark club sounded very soothing. Neji would probably get a migraine just thinking about it though.

"I can already feel a headache developing." He winced from the memory. "Why don't you ask some of your house wife friends if there is a club around here? Go for some girls night out thing and dance?"

"With how many men in this village you said stare at me?" She quirked a brow. "I'm not that reckless Neji."

"If anyone makes a move, stab him with a kunai. You are the daughter of a weapon's maker, even if you aren't a ninja."

"It'd be more amusing if you came, you were a pretty good dancer." She closed her eyes and a small smile appeared on her face. "If you lightened up a bit you'd be perfect probably."

"You're forgetting the part where I would rather allow Nobaru to have his wicked way with me than set foot inside that level of hell again." Neji pointed out shutting the book. No point in pretending to read it now.

"Would you really?" It wasn't really that bad, and she knew he was probably just being sarcastic again. "I meant it too...at least I could trust your hands." The cat meowed lightly when he leaned too far into an ear rub and fell sideways off Tenten.

Neji chuckled at the cat, sitting up straighter. "No, I wouldn't. But gives you an idea of how much I detest the mere thought of it."

"Ok, which is worse then?" She gave him two options. Being at a club or faking an orgasm for ninja watching them. "Since your idea of hell is very different than mine, I want to know which one is worse for you."

"The club. The possibility of being molested in the club, possibly by Nobaru even; while being forced to endure migraine inducing music and lights is worse than groaning and pretending to dry hump you."

Tenten's cheeks were stained a light red. "Interesting, can't say I expected that."

"You didn't expect awkward faked molestation preferred to unapproved molestation with dark intentions?"

"I expected you to tell me they were both bad." She answered. "To avoid hell in a club, all you have to do is make sure you have your back to a wall and you trust your dance partner." She answered, picking the cat back up again and playing with the paws that he swatted at her hands.

"So to avoid hell I need to lean against the wall and grind into you with an unaroused body? Sounds like a lovely way to spend an evening." He stood and stretched, about ready to go to bed.

"In all honesty, I'd probably just pin you to the wall and mock Kiba's attempts at dancing while others thought I was doing something very inappropriate with the hands they can't see." She smirked.

"Mine or yours?"

Tenten laughed. "I dunno, I guess they could always speculate both."

He nodded, picking up the cat and setting it on the love seat when it pounced his feet. "I'm going to bed. are you going to join me Tenten?"

"I'll be there in a few minutes." She said sitting up slowly. Her eyes flickered to the window followed by a fit of laughter. "Yeah, school's closed tomorrow." In the time they had spent in the basement, the snow had almost piled above the middle of their windows.

"Good. Then I can sleep in for a change." He changed into his pajamas, thick ones for the cold air.

"We'll see." She followed him into the bedroom and grabbed her warmest pajamas. "I might wind up cuddling." Three pairs, and she still felt a bit chilly.

"You cuddle even when it's hot. This doesn't surprise me." It was so cold, he might even be the one to initiate cuddling.

"Yeah but this time I really need it. All the other times it's just because that's how I sleep." She shrugged. "This time it's really cold."

"Is cold cuddling different from normal cuddling?" He looked at her oddly.

"Yeah...normally I'm not shivering." She pointed out.

"Get a blanket from the hallway. There should be that quilt your mother mailed us last week." That had been an embarrassing picture. Tenten's mother had explained it was their marriage blanket, and had went as far as to include a piece of Tenten's baby blanket in the design.

"No way, I'll take my chances with just what we have and you, thanks." She was almost as mortified as Neji had been. She had burst out into laughter shortly after though, and it took him at least an hour to laugh.

"It's thick though, twice as thick as any of our blankets." He reminded her as he slipped into the bed, moving the cat off his pillow.

After holding off for a few minutes she went down the hall and grabbed the quilt. She returned to the room with it held out in front of her like a sick creature before unfolding it and throwing it across the bed. She crawled under the blankets and close to Neji while the cat burrowed under the quilt but above their main blankets. "Ok so it's a bit warmer than what we have..." She conceded.

"The demon seems to like it." Neji prodded the purring bump under the covers before laying back. He was not going to admit that he had wanted the thick blanket.

"You can admit you were cold, you know." Tenten stated snuggling closer to Neji. "I have no issues admitting I'm freezing cold. I mean the snow is up to the middle of our windows, it'll be roof high by morning, I'm sure." It was a good thing that they had kept a walk way cleared to their house. That would only be waist high by morning.

"If we're lucky we'll be snowed inside and not have to deal with anyone for a few days." He ignored the comment and wrapped an arm around Tenten's waist.

"Good thing I went to the store." She murmured, closing her eyes and sighing softly. "Really good thing I went to the store."

"Yes. Now we won't have to eat the cat to fend off starvation." He yawned, closing his eyes. "Good night Tenten."

The cat hissed from his little bawl under the quilt, causing Tenten to laugh very quietly under her breath before whispering her good nights and pressing a bit closer for warmth.


End file.
